Storm Arwen: Power cut compensation posted to victims

The first compensation cheques for hundreds of thousands of people hit by power cuts caused by Storm Arwen have been posted out, a power firm has said.

The storm on 26 November knocked out power for more than 240,000 customers in the North East and Cumbria.

Dozens of homes were still affected 12 days after the storm and were not reconnected until 8 December.

Northern Powergrid thanked customers for their patience and said it hoped all would be compensated by Christmas.

It also said as well as compensation for loss of power, it would pay "within reason" the cost of alternative accommodation incurred by customers as well as up to £15 per person for meals.

A statement from Northern Powergrid said: "We are making great progress in reducing the number of customers supplied by temporary generators.

"At the peak of the recovery effort we had over 330 generators on the network.

"That number is now below 100 and will fall further over the coming days as our team work through the weekend to complete more of the repair work.

"We thank those customers for their continued patience."

A £700 cap on compensation has also been lifted allowing all those affected to claim £70 for each 12-hour period they are left without power - after an initial £70 for the first 48 hours.

The power firm said Storm Arwen was the worst storm to hit the UK in 20 years and the 98mph winds in some areas caused "unprecedented" damage.

In Scotland 135,000 homes were also affected and Electricity North West and Southern Electricity Networks were unable to restore power to all until 6 December.

Northern Powergrid supplied hot food and drinks to customers during the crisis and the Army was drafted in to deliver supplies and to do welfare checks on remote households.

Some people even became so desperate they resorted to cooking on barbecues and camping stoves.

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