Storm Arwen: Thousands across England remain without power

Thousands of people across England remain without power and transport networks have continued to suffer disruption following Storm Arwen.

About 40,000 customers in the North East have been waiting for supplies to be reconnected.

In the North West, up to 16,000 homes and businesses have been without power.

LNER train services on the East Coast Main Line have also been hit, with no trains running north of Newcastle the firm said.

Northern Powergrid, which covers the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, said Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear had "taken the brunt" of the storm.

In all, 240,000 of its customers had lost power during the storm with 200,000 being reconnected by 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

Fallen trees and flying debris had damaged electricity infrastructure with conditions hampering engineers attempting to make repairs, it added.

A helicopter has been used to help spot damage and inform teams on the ground.

Rod Gardner, the firm's major incident manager, said it had been "one of the most challenging" periods it had seen in more than a decade with its teams being unable to safely climb for more than 24 hours due to strong winds.

Electricity North West, which supplies people from the Scottish border to Manchester, described network damage caused by the storm as "devastating" with 83,000 properties without power at one point.

By 16:00 GMT on Sunday, it said it had been restored to 72,000 customers.

The hardest hit areas in Greater Manchester have been Oldham, Rochdale and Bury.

In the West Midlands, more than 8,400 properties have been without power.

Hundreds of homes in West Yorkshire are currently without power, with most not expected to see repairs until Monday.

Dozens of postcodes across Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield have been affected.

In Scotland, in some areas, hot food and drinks are being supplied to people who have spent two nights without electricity.

In Wales, thousands of people are still without power after the storm.

Transport networks in northern England are still battling to get back on track.

Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus said services between North and South Shields resumed at 07:00 GMT on Sunday, although other routes were suspended for much of the day.

By 16:00 GMT trains were running again between St James, in Newcastle, and South Shields in both directions, although there were still no services between Pelaw and South Hylton or South Gosforth and Newcastle Airport.

It said teams had been working through the night to assess the damage and remove trees and branches from overhead lines.

On the East Coast Main Line, LNER announced no trains would run north of Newcastle on Sunday.

Heavy snowfall has meant dozens of customers at Britain's highest pub have been stranded for a second night.

Guests became trapped at the Tan Hill Inn, in the Yorkshire Dales, on Friday night after going to watch an Oasis tribute band.

Storm Arwen saw winds of 98mph recorded in Northumberland with buildings and vehicles across the North East damaged.

Burnley's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor was postponed 50 minutes before kick-off because of heavy snow.

Elsewhere in England, one man was killed in Ambleside, in the Lake District when he was struck by a falling tree and about 120 HGV drivers were stuck on the M62 near Rochdale after a jack-knifed lorry led to the motorway's partial closure.

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