Tens of thousands without power in UK in storm's wake

Tens of thousands of people in Scotland and northern England remained without power on Sunday after Storm Arwen brought sleet, subzero temperatures and disruption across much of the UK.

Icy gusts caused power cuts around the border between Scotland and England, with Northern Powergrid saying it recorded 1,100 instances of damage requiring significant repairs. It said it was trying to restore service to 40,000 customers, while the SP Energy Networks said 21,000 customers remained without power on Sunday.

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid's major incident manager, said it had been "one of the most challenging" periods it had seen in more than a decade.

“The storm was well forecasted and despite being prepared, Storm Arwen resulted in damage of a scale and intensity not seen for 15 years,” said Gardner.

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

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

In the West Midlands, around 8,500 properties have been without power.

Hundreds of homes in West Yorkshire have lost power, with most not expecting repairs until Monday.

Many postcodes in Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield have also been affected.

In Scotland, in some areas, hot food and drinks are being supplied to those without electricity.

In Wales, thousands of people are still without power.

The power cuts came as forecasters issued ice warnings and said the coldest night of the season would hit parts of the UK on Sunday, with snowfall expected across the country and temperatures dropping to as low as -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Scotland and northern England.

Some train routes, including one between the cities of Edinburgh and Newcastle, were cancelled due to damage caused by the storm.

The cold spell came after three people were killed when trees were blown over by strong winds.