Storm Arwen: Snow, rain, and wind set to hit homes still without power

Military personnel have been called in to help with the recovery effort in Scotland and northern England

Snow, rain, and wind have been forecast to sweep across areas still affected by power outages from Storm Arwen.

Thousands in northern England and Scotland remain without power after the storm more than a week ago.

The Met Office has warned of continued wintry weather and gales on Monday and Tuesday - with a likelihood of more strong winds on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he "remains concerned" so many properties are still without power.

On Sunday morning 4,025 homes across northern England and Scotland were still without electricity after the storm hit on 26 November, industry body the Energy Networks Association confirmed.

Northern Powergrid, which provides energy for North East England, said it hoped to have all power cuts caused by Storm Arwen restored by Tuesday.

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The Met Office predicts low temperatures of between 4C (39F) and 6C (43F), as well as some gale-force winds over the coming days.

Snow fall in the Cairngorms and northern Pennines overnight was expected to be followed by drier and less windy conditions on Sunday, it said.

However, on Monday and Tuesday the UK is set to see more wind, rain, and snow - with strong winds expected on Wednesday too.

Northern Powergrid previously said many of the affected homes could be without power until Wednesday, which will be 12 days after the storm's 98mph gusts tore down electricity lines.

'Slow down reconnection'

In a tweet, the prime minister said he had spoken with those leading the response to the storm, including the military commander on the ground and local community leaders in Northumberland, Durham and Darlington.

Mr Johnson wrote: "I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the emergency teams and volunteers on the ground but remain concerned that more than 4,700 households are still without power.

"I reiterated to those I spoke to that the government is ready to further support their work in any way we can."

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said there could be decent conditions on Sunday and the in the first half of Tuesday.

"In terms of the process of reconnecting power supplies and getting to remote areas, it's not helpful," he said.

"Other than that, a fair bit of rain, some hill snow, and some reasonably strong winds - certainly aiding to slow down the process of reconnecting supplies and getting to the more remote locations to clear trees and so forth."

Energy regulator Ofgem has warned it will take enforcement action against power companies which failed to restore supply quickly enough following the storm.

It has also agreed with firms to lift the £700 cap on compensation which could be given to customers, allowing those affected to claim £70 for each 12-hour period they are without power, on top of the £70 owed for the first 48 hours of disruption.

Chief executive Jonathan Brearley told the BBC the regulator was "deeply concerned" about customers left without power for more than week.

He said: "We have clear expectations of how fast they should get people back on the system.

"We do recognise the challenging circumstances those companies are in. But what we expect from the network companies is to be relentless in connecting people, but also to be putting support in place."

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has described the number of homes without power as "completely unacceptable".

Talking to BBC Politics North, he said electricity network companies could face enforcement action if it was found they had not invested adequately in infrastructure.

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