Brits have been to brace themselves for four days of residential power cuts this winter as the nation’s energy crisis deepens.

The government’s latest “reasonable worst-case scenario,” suggests Britain could face an electricity capacity shortfall totaling about a sixth of peak demand.

That in combination with below-average temperatures and a drop in gas imports would see the nation fall into organised darkness this winter.

The government insists it has sufficient reserves to avoid blackouts, which it says will likely never happen.

The doomsday scenario is “not something we expect to happen,” the government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement. “Households, businesses and industry can be confident they will get the electricity and gas they need.”

The blackouts would coincide with energy bills surging past £4,000 as the price cap set by regulator Ofgem more than doubles, with forecast predicting a further rise in April as bills surge to £4,400.