Thousands still without power after Storm Éowyn

A big tree lying across a road and the front gardens of white-brick terrace houses.
Image caption,

A tree fell in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, narrowly missing a row of houses

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Thousands of homes are still without power across north-east England and Cumbria following Storm Éowyn.

Wind gusts reached up to 96mph (154 km/h) in Northumberland on Friday, with trees being brought down, roofs ripped off and roads closed.

About 1,500 properties in Cumbria and 2,381 throughout the North East still have no electricity.

Electricity North West said at the height of the storm, 105,000 people were off-supply while Northern Powergrid said on Sunday it has restored power to 97% of customers.

Both providers said they hoped to restore everyone's power by the end of Monday.

Rachel Parr from Electricity North West told BBC Radio Cumbria there had been "complexity" and more "extenuating circumstances" than the supplier first anticipated at the beginning of the storm.

Warm spaces opened in Cumbria on Sunday with hot food, drinks and showers on offer to those affected.

A worker in an orange hi-vis jacket is taking a chainsaw to a large fallen tree.Image source, Ian Longstaff
Image caption,

Arborists cleared rural roads in Northumberland after Storm Éowyn tore through the region on Friday

Work to clear up is still under way, with the Sands Centre in Carlisle remaining closed for a further 10 days after its temporary Raac-replacement roof was damaged in the wind.

Cumberland Council said the Sands Centre and Swifts car parks would both remain closed which will impact NHS services.

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