ScottishPower has launched a "Rural Care" programme to protect 4000 km or so of its most vulnerable overhead circuits in Scotland and its Manweb territory (or 8 per cent of the total network length of 45,000 km) against damage from falling trees.

The weather during last year's Christmas holidays was the most damaging the company has experienced in 30 years and affected 230,000 customers in total.

Around 6,000 of the 7,500 instances of damage were caused by falling trees. This is increasingly a problem for electricity companies as a result of climate change and trees maturing near power lines.

The company is spending more than £5 million this year and a total of around £20 million over the next two to three years to remove trees more than 90 per cent of them conifers - and to extensively replant the line corridors with trees and shrubs designed to encourage biodiversity.

Preparations for bad weather have also included upgrades to the company's fault information and telephone systems such as the creation of a virtual call centre - for communicating with customers during a large-scale emergency.

The Rural Care team includes 25 staff, a manager from the Forestry Commission, around 100 contractors and a number of New Deal youngsters.

Support has been given by Scottish Natural Heritage, the Forestry Commission, the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland and the RSPB, among others.

Community groups are being invited to help design new habitants and monitor their development.

Rural Care Manager Gordon Christie said following last year's emergency the regulatory body OFFER had urged electricity companies to act quickly to minimise the likelihood of a repeat occurrence.

"No-one likes trees being removed, but we don't intend to plough empty swathes through the countryside. Instead we will create habitats that in most cases will actually add to amenity of the area", he said

There would be a potential boost to declining woodland species such as the red squirrel, black grouse and plants including the perennial flax, Gordon Christie added.