The warning came from one of the co-authors of the Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk (SWIMMR) S6 project group’s Severe space weather impacts on UK critical national infrastructure report, which was funded by the government.

The report said the government, regulators and CNI operators must “develop space weather preparedness plans” for CNI.

Space weather “is caused by disturbances from active regions of the Sun”, the report says.