42% of all adults in the UK have admitted they don't know about the 105 emergency helpline number that is available for people to call in the event of a power cut.

That was the surprise finding of research commissioned by electricity network operator, SP Energy Networks, which is responsible for keeping power flowing to 3.5 million homes and businesses across central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire, North and Mid-Wales and North Shropshire.

If power does go off unexpectedly, the 1st thing to do is to check if your neighbours still have electricity. If their power is also off, you should call:- 105 to report the outage and to receive updates about the situation in your local area.

The 105 number is a free service for people in England, Scotland and Wales and it doesn't matter who you buy your electricity from, anyone can call:- 105; but lots of people still don't know it exists.

The survey, commissioned by SP Energy Networks, also revealed that 39% of adults within the UK admit their 1st call would be to call their Mum and Dad before calling:- 105 if bad weather did lead to a power cut.

20.4% of those surveyed also said they would sit in the dark until the lights came back on and hope for someone else to solve the problem.

Kendal Morris, Customer Service Director at SP Energy Networks said:- "While a lot of people do know the steps to take in a power cut, the results of our research show that there's still work to be done to educate others. In the same way people know who to call in an emergency, the 105 power cut helpline should be used when the power goes out, no matter where you live or who you pay your bill. The easiest way to do that is to save the number in your phone and that way you will get through to the people who can get our expert team of engineers, who work 24/7, on the case and help restore power as quickly as possible. Calling 105 can make a real difference, so make sure it's your 1st call – rather than phoning mum or dad or just waiting for the lights to come back on. When the power is out, so are our teams, but we can only help if we know there's a problem in the 1st place!"

During a power cut, it can be helpful to leave a light on so that you can tell easily when the outage has been resolved. It's also wise to check in with neighbours to make sure they're okay and also to switch off all electrical appliances that shouldn't be left unattended so you don't forget about them when the power does come back on.

For customers who require a little extra support during a power cut, SP Energy Networks' free Priority Services Register (PSR) can help.

You can text PSR to:- 61999, to join or fill out the form of the energy network provider's website. You can join the PSR for a range of reasons, including if you're over the age of 60, depend on electricity for medical reasons or have children under the age of 5.