Race to restore electricity to thousands of homes before Storm Barra as anger mounts over government response | UK news

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More than 3,000 homes remain without heating and hot water, about 10 days after Storm Irwin affected power supplies – and as the second major storm of winter is set to hit the UK in the next 24 hours.

In its latest update, the Energy Network Association said 3,190 homes were waiting to be reconnected as of 2 p.m. Sunday, down from 4,025 homes on Sunday morning.

Most of those infected are located in the North East of England.

Photo: Jim Muir and his wife Belinda were left without power in Aberdeenshire for over a week after Storm Irwin

Both the Scottish and Southern power grids said power had been restored to all 135,000 affected customers by Sunday evening.

Another storm – dubbed Barra by the Irish Met Office – is coming and expected to hit the UK on Tuesday with strong winds of 45-50mph making it even more difficult for those trying to reconnect the remaining homes.

The winds will continue into Wednesday, with “a mix of rain and snow there as well,” said Simon Partridge, a meteorologist with the Met Office.

“It will not make working conditions easier for those abroad,” he added.

The worst storm is expected in western Ireland, but yellow wind warnings were issued across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Tuesday, while yellow snow warnings covered southern and western Scotland.

Photo: Storm Barra will reach the UK on Tuesday with warnings of wind and snow. Pic: Met Office

There are currently no weather warnings for Monday.

A spokesperson for the Energy Networks Consortium said operators are “working together” to prepare for the storm, adding: “We are monitoring forecasts regularly, coordinating response plans, and preparing to share resources if needed.”

Approximately 300 military personnel from the British Army and Royal Marines were deployed to provide support and carried out door-to-door inspections of people at risk in their homes.

Meanwhile, anger over the length of time many homes have been without power since Storm Irwin has mounted, with Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon saying that “beggars believe” restoring power was not seen as a “national priority”.

Photo: Thousands of homes have been without electricity since Storm Irwin

Trevor Phillips told Sky News on Sunday: “I firmly believe that had this been a case where 20,000 properties were without power in Surrey or in London, the government would have taken it more seriously.

“For the people in County Durham that I spoke to, they felt isolated, they felt angry, they felt forgotten.”

John Bell, who lives in the village of Elsdon in Northumberland, finally reconnected his power at the weekend six days later – only to be cut off again. He named it a heart in his mouth for a moment.

“We’re totally ignoring it,” Bell told Sky News.

“Because you think, ‘Okay, these guys are working really hard to get the power back, we have a local consultant who really pushed things and did a totally excellent job. “Why wasn’t an emergency with the military involved much sooner than it is now?”

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2:01 Force is still ‘totally unacceptable’ for some

Power regulator Ofgem has warned it will take enforcement action against network companies that failed to return power to customers quickly enough in the wake of the storm.

It has also agreed with the companies to raise the £700 cap on compensation that can be awarded to clients.

The change will allow those affected to claim £70 for every 12 hours they are left without power, up from £70 in the first 48 hours.

Photo: Ofgem said it will take enforcement action against network companies that failed to return power to customers quickly enough in the aftermath of the storm. Pic: Northern Powergrid

“I feel we’ve been dealing with this problem since the beginning of the week,” Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarting said during a visit to Durham.

“99.5% of the people affected have recovered from the power source.

“For 0.5%, that’s no consolation at all…but it’s wrong to say that nothing has been done.”

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