The BBC has secret scripts ready to use in the case of winter blackouts, reports have suggested.

The organisation has put together measures to get news to people in the event of power cuts throughout the winter, caused by a lack of gas.

The National Grid has warned planned blackouts could hit the UK between 4pm and 7pm in the coming months to save energy.

If that were the case, forcing phone networks, TVs and WiFi offline, the BBC will run a reduced temporary radio service, the Guardian reports.

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People will be encouraged to listen using their car radios or battery-powered devices to emergency frequencies for the news.

The script states that the blackouts would be affecting gas supply systems and prevent the use of mobile networks, cashpoints and internet access.

“The emergency services are under extreme pressure. People are being advised not to contact them unless absolutely necessary,” one prepared script reads.

The script also states: “Officials are saying there is no current risk to food supply and distribution. But they’re asking people to look out for vulnerable neighbours and relatives.”

Planned blackout warning for homes this winter

The first planned blackouts in decades might hit parts of the UK if power plants can’t get enough gas to keep them running.

Households are being encouraged to help avoid blackouts by using energy during off-peak times.

In the “unlikely" scenario of planned blackouts, the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) said that households and businesses may face three-hour outages to ensure the grid does not collapse.

Mr Pettigrew spoke at an energy event hosted by the Financial Times where he warned those outages could come between 4pm and 7pm, the times households tend to consume a fifth of their daily energy.

It is the most dire of three possible scenarios that the ESO laid out on Thursday for how Britain’s electricity grid might cope with the worst global energy crisis for decades.

In the other two scenarios, the operator hopes that by paying people to charge their electric cars at off-peak times and firing up backup coal plants it can offset the risk of blackouts.