Storm Arwen: County Durham and Darlington residents urged for views

The armed forces were drafted in to help with overhead power cables in Weardale

Residents in County Durham affected by Storm Arwen are being urged to give their thoughts on the response to "one of the worst storms in a decade".

Thousands were left without power for several days when gusts of up to 80mph hit parts of the region on 26 November.

A major incident was declared by a group, including Durham County Council, after Northern Powergrid was unable to confirm when it could restore supplies.

A survey will run until 18 March for views on how local services responded.

Community groups and organisations will also be consulted.

Huge waves crash against the lighthouse in Seaham Harbour

The special taskforce - County Durham and Darlington Local Resilience Forum - was made of up representatives from local authorities, the emergency services and public bodies and declared the major incident on 2 December.

Northumberland County Council did the same following the storm, which brought a rare Met Office red weather alert over winds, meaning a significant danger to life.

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It saw the armed forces deployed in the worst affected areas, which included rural communities in Teesdale and Weardale.

Support teams were brought in to help vulnerable residents

At the time, Durham County Council committed to undertake "a review and debrief", giving people an opportunity to share their experiences and help improve the response in the future.

Amanda Hopgood, leader of Durham County Council, said: "Storm Arwen was one of the worst storms we have experienced in recent years, with the impact being felt in communities across the county.

"I would like to encourage people to share their experiences of the storm and the multi-agency response, so that we can build on what worked well and address any areas where improvements can be made."