When everyday services wobble
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Most of us never think about the pipes, wires and computer systems that keep a home ticking along, and that's rather the point. They're remarkably reliable. But every so often one of them has an off day. A storm brings down a line. A water main bursts. A shop's computers get hacked, and suddenly the card machine won't take your money.
None of this is a reason to worry. It's a reason to spend an hour, once, getting a few sensible things in place, and then get on with life.
The thing nobody tells you: it's all connected
One problem tends to nudge another. A power cut usually means no heating, because most gas boilers need electricity to run. It can stop broadband, digital landlines and card machines, and sometimes the pumps that push water to your tap. Lose your gas, and everyone plugs in electric heaters at once, which can strain the local electricity network. A cyber attack on a supermarket can leave shelves bare, not because there's no food but because the ordering system is down.
That's good news, really. It means one set of basics covers almost everything.
Pick your situation
- Power cut: what to do in the first ten minutes, who to call (105), and keeping the fridge cold.
- No water or a boil water notice: how much to keep, flushing the loo, and keeping babies safe.
- No gas or no heating: staying warm safely, and why you must never relight a supply yourself.
- Empty shelves and food shortages: why gaps appear and how to shop calmly.
- Card payments, banks or the GP system down: cash, a second way to pay, and dodging the scams that follow.
- Told to stay at home or stay indoors: from "go in, stay in, tune in" to longer stay-at-home orders.
What's affected by what
A tick means it can be affected, not that it always will be. A power cut is the big one, which is why torches, a radio, a power bank and some cash do so much work.
| If this happens… | Tap water | Heating | Cooking | Phone & internet | Card payments | Fridge & freezer | Food in shops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power cut | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Gas outage | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| Water outage | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cyber attack or IT failure | – | – | – | – | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Empty shelves | – | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Told to stay at home | – | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
Why: most gas boilers and many hobs need electricity; pumps and tall buildings can lose water pressure in a power cut; broadband, digital landlines and card machines need power; a cyber attack can stop a shop's ordering and tills; stay-at-home orders limit getting to the shops.
How likely is any of this?
The Government's National Risk Register 2025 sets out planning scenarios for the worst plausible version of each event. A nationwide power failure, for example, is rated a 1–5% chance over five years (likelihood score 3 on the register's risk matrix). Great Britain has never had one. Real-life disruptions are usually smaller, shorter and local. Most power cuts are fixed within hours. But a few go on longer: some homes waited over a week after Storm Arwen in 2021, and parts of Tunbridge Wells were without proper water for days in late 2025.
The official advice is to be ready for three days. That covers most situations, and it means the emergency services can focus on people who need them most.
Start here: the universal basics
Water, food, cash, light, warmth, a radio, medicines and contacts on paper. See our universal basics checklist. Then do two free things today: check whether you can join the Priority Services Register, and make sure Emergency Alerts are switched on in your phone's settings.
That's it. Put the kettle on. You're more prepared than you were five minutes ago.
Sources
- Cabinet Office, Households encouraged to take small, simple steps to stay prepared in an emergency, 22 Oct 2026. www.gov.uk/government/news/households-encouraged-to-take-small-simple-steps-to-stay-prepared-in-an-emergency
- GOV.UK Be Ready checklist. beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies
- Cabinet Office, National Risk Register 2025. www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025
- Be Ready: Power cuts. beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts
- Ofgem, Storm Arwen review, June 2022. www.ofgem.gov.uk/press-release/ofgem-publishes-full-report-following-six-month-review-networks-response-storm-arwen
- Ofwat, investigation into South East Water, 2026. www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Investigation-into-South-East-Waters-response-to-water-supply-interruption-incidents-Final-decision.pdf
- Cadent, Muswell Hill loss of gas incident, Jan 2025. cadentgas.com/past-incidents/loss-of-gas-n10
- Priority Services Register. www.thepsr.co.uk
Last checked 2026-11-01. Facts and figures are linked to their original sources above.