Thousands hit by power cuts caused by Storm Bert

Thousands of homes have been hit by power cuts caused by Storm Bert.

Electricity North West said engineers had restored power to 6,000 properties across Cumbria after overhead lines were damaged by "flying debris and ice accumulation".

About 2,000 homes in the north west of England remain without electricity, mostly in Cumbria.

The energy firm said its engineers had been on standby before the storm hit and had been making repairs since damage was first reported at 07:00 GMT.

Workington and Penrith had been hit particularly badly by the storm, the company added.

Alan Astall, from Electricity North West, said: "The network has held up well and our automatic restoration systems have kicked in in many areas, rerouting power to customers while engineers carry out repairs.

“Our teams are working hard to restore the remaining properties today, while continuing to monitor the weather."

Homes in south and west Wales, along with the East and West Midlands, have also been left without power after Storm Bert brought snow, high winds and heavy rain to the UK.

Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents UK energy networks, has said its members have engineers on standby as the worst of the weather is "yet to arrive".

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