Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

8,000 homes without power

Ian Griggs
Sunday 03 February 2008 01:00 GMT
Comments
An abandoned car in Durham on Friday evening
An abandoned car in Durham on Friday evening (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Britain will begin to thaw out today as forecasters predicted the worst of the bad weather was over. But the change will come too late for the 8,000 households still without electricity after gale force winds and snow downed power lines.

In Co Durham the A66, which was closed on Friday because of heavy blizzards, was reopened yesterday. Hundreds of motorists, including 40 pensioners, had to be rescued after being left stranded on the remote road, and many were evacuated to a village hall and a pub in Bowes, while others continued their journey when the snow cleared.

In the North-east and North Yorkshire, the operation to restore power to homes began yesterday after severe weather on Friday led to power cuts. In all 45,000 homes were affected, supplier CE Electric said.

Forecasters predict milder weather for most of the UK today. A Met Office spokesman said: "The conditions are unusual but not unprecedented, but over the longer term you might expect more severe storms."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in