Storm Malik: 10,000 Northumberland and County Durham homes without power

Thousands of residents are still without power after Storm Malik caused disruption across the north-east of England.

Strong winds closed the entire Tyne and Wear Metro network on Saturday, with gusts of 93mph recorded at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

Operator Nexus said trains were back up and running, except between Benton and Monkseaton due to damage.

Northern Powergrid said about 10,000 customers remained without power.

Those affected are predominantly in Northumberland and County Durham, where a major incident has been declared.

Power is expected to be restored to most - but not all - people on Sunday, providers say.

Rachel Johnston, a resident in Pigdon, near Morpeth, Northumberland, lost power at about 09:00 GMT on Saturday.

She said: "We were told it would be back on for 6pm last night and we still have no power, so false promises again. It's very much [like the] situation of Storm Arwen that we're given promises that are not fulfilled.

"Last time we were without power for 11 days... I think we're in for a repeat of last time.

"It's pretty grim. This is day one, are we going to have day 10, day 11?"

A nearby neighbour, Brenda James, said she could not get upstairs in her home as her stair lift was unusable amid a power loss.

Northern Powergrid said the level of damage seen was "not as severe as was caused by the ice storm in Storm Arwen".

Director Paul Glendinning said: "We have successfully restored supplies to more than 60,000 customers but given the amount of work that there is to do and the fact that we are expecting more high winds during Sunday afternoon, we think that it is likely that a relatively small proportion of our customers will remain without power beyond Sunday night."

A second storm - Storm Corrie - is expected to bring further high winds. A yellow weather warning is in place from 15:00 GMT for the North East and Cumbria.

Stewart Sexton, who lives in Alnwick, Northumberland, was left without power after the damage caused by last year's Storm Arwen, and has found himself unable to heat his home once again.

The 58-year-old said: "It's exactly like last time - no light, heat, hot water, no mobile signal in our village... which in itself is disgraceful.

"We can't do anything, it's awful here.

"Will we be left 10 days this time without heat, water, or mobile signal?"

In County Durham, a major incident has been declared to deal with the impact of the storm.

Durham County Council said it was working with emergency services and Northern Powergrid to support residents.

Ch Supt Richie Allen, of Durham Constabulary and chair of the Emergency Planning Strategic Co-ordination Group for County Durham and Darlington, said: "We are working to ensure that supplies are restored as soon as possible, particularly for those who are vulnerable.

"It's just two months since many communities were left without power as a result of Storm Arwen, so we understand that residents will be anxious to ensure their supplies are quickly restored.

"I would also ask that people please continue to look out for friends, family members and neighbours where possible, particularly if they know of anyone who is vulnerable."

In Northumberland, the Kielder and Bellingham areas were particularly affected.

Northumberland County Council said welfare checks were being carried out to "ensure all known vulnerable residents and care homes who are without power have the support they need".

The Jubilee Hall in Rothbury has opened as a community hub and Northern Powergrid customer support vehicles have been deployed at Kielder and Powburn offering coffee and snacks.

Hot food will also be available on South Road, Wooler, from 16:00 GMT if the power supply in the area remains down, the authority added.

Electricity North West engineers have restored power to more than 8,000 homes affected mainly in Cumbria on Saturday, but warn of further bad weather to come on Sunday evening.

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