The UK Government’s National Risk Register 2025 identifies 89 major risks across nine categories, from natural hazards to cyberattacks. Among these are threats to national infrastructure, where even short-term disruptions to power, water, communications, or digital systems can have serious consequences.

While the public sector is often on the frontline of response, private sector organisations, especially those in the visitor economy such as retail, tourism and hospitality are equally dependent on these vital systems. Whether it’s a power outage closing tills and booking systems, or a cyberattack that locks customer data, the ripple effects can disrupt service, revenue and reputation within minutes

Key threats to national infrastructure and their impact

Power outages pose one of the most immediate risks. Venues rely on continuous electricity for payment terminals, refrigeration, lighting and customer safety. During the April 2025 blackout in the Iberian Peninsula, the outage which affected major cities including Barcelona, Lisbon and Madrid, led to widespread disruptions across various transportation services, including airports, trains and public transport systems. The outage caused the temporary closure of hotels, restaurants, museums and shopping centres, and resulted in the cancellation and delays of flights across the region.

Water supply failures bring a different set of risks. Thames Water has warned that rainfall levels in parts of the UK have dropped to less than half the seasonal average, with reservoir storage running well below normal. Hotter, drier summers are becoming more frequent, raising the likelihood of drought-related restrictions. In the future, this could mean phased limits on water use, from temporary bans on non-essential activities to longer-term supply disruptions. Without water – food preparation, hygiene and guest services all become severely compromised, making early planning essential.

Telecommunications failures add another layer of risk. A loss of phone lines or internet connectivity can leave organisations without the ability to coordinate teams, process payments, manage bookings or communicate with customers.

Cyber threats also remain highly prevalent with 43% of businesses and 30% of charities reported having experienced any kind of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. A single successful attack can paralyse digital systems, delay guest operations and cause lasting reputational damage.

Planning for 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week

A simple but effective way to start building preparedness is the 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week rule. This framework helps organisations explore not only the operational impact of losing critical services over different timeframes but also the workforce capacity and skills needed to respond effectively.

The principle is simple: ask what your organisation would do if a critical service, i.e. power, water, gas, communication lines or IT systems failed for one hour, one day, or one week. Each timeframe brings different challenges and thinking them through in advance helps you understand where your operations are most vulnerable.

• One hour: Would essential services keep running if a sudden outage hit? Could staff continue safely while you waited for systems to come back online?
• One day: How would you manage communication, customer service and staff welfare if key services were down for an entire working day?
• One week: What long-term alternatives would you need to keep maintain operations and service quality if there was no clear end to the disruption?

To turn that planning into meaningful results, our Scenario Informed Resilience Assessment takes this a step further. It’s:

• Immersive and scenario-based, so you don’t just plan on paper, you test your response in realistic disruption scenarios.
• Integrated with workforce planning insights, helping you understand the skills and capacity your teams would need in real crises.
• Designed to give you practical recommendations and a readiness rating tailored to your organisation’s context, supporting your continuity planning and overall resilience objectives.

Book your free consultation today.