Storm Arwen: Over 4,000 homes still without power after 10 days

Storm Arwen: Over 4,000 homes still without power after 10 days
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Gareth Milner

By Gareth Milner


Published: 05/12/2021

- 11:46

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to survey the damage from Storm Arwen in Durham this afternoon.

Thousands of homes in the UK are still without power more than a week after Storm Arwen.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said that 4,025 homes were still waiting to be reconnected as of Sunday morning.


This is down from 4,700 homes on Saturday night.

The majority of the impacted homes are in the north-east of England, the ENA added.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to survey the damage from Storm Arwen in Durham this afternoon.

It comes after gusts of between 35-50 miles per hour battered the country overnight on Saturday, with temperatures plummeting to below zero in parts of Scotland.

Meanwhile, the Met Office predicts further wet and windy weather heading into next week, with poor weather conditions continuing in areas already impacted by Storm Arwen.

Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: “It will be a relatively nice day today, but overnight tonight it will be windy.

“Temperatures, with the wind and cloud cover, should stay up tonight.

“That should help things a little bit, but we are expecting some more changeable and unsettled weather.

“This unsettled weather isn’t going to help areas that have been impacted by Storm Arwen too much.”

Stewart Sexton, from Alnwick in Northumberland, is on day 10 without power.

“Yesterday we had confirmation that it would be on by close of play today”, the 57-year-old told the PA news agency.

“NPG (Northern Powergrid) even called us back to say yes – confirmed – back on the 5th.

“However, it’s blowing 40mph with rain here today so that confirmation is highly unlikely, if not impossible.”

The Ministry of Defence said 297 personnel from the British Army and Royal Marines were still providing support to civil authorities and conducting door-to-door checks on vulnerable people on Sunday morning.

On Saturday, Boris Johnson said he had held calls with those leading the response to Storm Arwen and the Government is ready to further support the recovery work “in any way we can”.

The long delays have prompted energy regulator Ofgem to warn it will take enforcement action against network companies which failed to restore power to customers quickly enough.

It has also agreed with firms to lift the £700 cap on compensation which could be offered to those stuck without power.

The change will allow those affected to claim £70 for each 12-hour period they have no electricity, are an initial £70 for the first 48 hours’ of any cut.

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