Storm Arwen: 19,500 homes still without power as military deployed in Scotland
Around 19,500 homes are still without power following “catastrophic damage” caused by Storm Arwen, while the armed forces have been deployed to hard-hit parts of Scotland.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said a further 7,949 homes had had power restored since Wednesday – meaning 98% of the 950,000 homes originally affected now have electricity.Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which distributes power to 3.7 million homes in central southern England and the north of Scotland, said 3,100 people are still off supply, mainly more rural communities, and it was working to reconnect them.
Areas that are most affected include Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire.
It added that areas with high voltage power, which supply towns and villages, are now largely reconnected and SSEN said it hopes to restore power to the rest by the end of the day.
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For low voltage areas, including individual homes and groups of properties, the company said that “extensive damage” has taken place, and it is hoping to restore power to homes by Friday.
Boris Johnson on Thursday said 134 military personnel will assist in the Grampian area and will attempt to reach around 3,000 homes.
Aberdeenshire Council said in a statement that 120 of these troops are en route to “support ongoing resilience efforts” following the storm.
In the North East, a major incident has been declared across parts of County Durham and Darlington.
The decision has been taken because the Northern Powergrid is not yet in a position to confirm when supplies will be given to all properties across the region.
Wintry showers have affected the North and East, while rain, sleet and snow fell in south-western parts of the UK .
The Met Office said the showers will be confined to Norfolk later on Thursday, with gales easing along the North Sea coast.
More snow is expected to hit Scotland on Friday before moving across towards the South East. Meanwhile rain is predicted for the north western parts.
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Eastern parts of Scotland are predicted to have highs of 2°C (35.6°F) while western Scotland could have highs of 4°C (39.2°F).
Across England there may be highs of 3°C (37.4°F) and 4°C on Thursday, with some sunny spells and cloud later.
Clare Pennington, from Newtyle in Angus, said she was on her sixth day without power and is staying in a static home as she is building a house.
A project manager in sustainability, she said: “(We feel) totally forgotten (about). It was freezing last night, too cold to sleep. We haven’t even got anyone scheduled to come and assess the situation yet so it could be next week before we’re back with power.
“I’m pretty resilient but the frustration of having no news and no idea of when things might improve is really hard, and physically it’s tiring with no sleep since Thursday because of the cold.”
Ms Pennington later said she had been contacted by engineers who were en route to visit her property.
Labour’s shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: “Thousands have been left without power for days on end, especially in rural and more remote communities, yet they have been mostly abandoned by the government.
“Half-hearted reassurance from ministers hundreds of miles away is completely useless when so many people are unable to cook, charge their phones or store vital medicines properly.
“The Conservatives need to get their act together and ensure there is resilient infrastructure across the country to stand up to the more severe storms we know are coming in the climate crisis.”
While on a visit to Yarm, North Yorkshire, the chancellor said "people are working incredibly hard" to bring power back to the thousands cut off by the storm.
By noon on Thursday, SSEN had connected power to 125,000 customers.
People who are without power and are unable to stay with families or friends can get their costs reimbursed from SSEN for other accommodation.
The firm has also established welfare facilities, with free hot food and drinks. Customers can also claim up to £15 per person for food from local places.
The Energy Networks Association said it is aiming to reconnect the majority of properties by Friday, while people who live in more rural areas may have their power returned by the end of the week.
The association added more than one million homes had been affected by the power issues.