Thousands left without any power after Storm Darragh

Thousands of people were last night still without power after Storm Darragh caused chaos across the country over the weekend.

- BARNEY DAVIS & SIMON CALDER

Areas including Hereford experienced flooding after heavy rainfall caused high water levels on the River Wye, one of the longest rivers in the country which runs through mid-Wales and southwest England. Planes struggled to land at London Heathrow airport with cancellations leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

A yellow wind warning for the whole of England and Wales also remained in place, with the Met Office warning further strong winds of up to 70mph could cause possible short-term loss of power.

The Energy Networks Association said around 161,000 customers were still without power as of 2pm yesterday due to damage caused by the storm, but added that 91 per cent of affected customers had their connection restored.

A woman living by candlelight in Exton, Devon, said she felt “frustrated” and “annoyed” after struggling to contact National Grid to report a power cut since 5pm on Saturday. Deb Knowles, 43, said she was lighting candles and using a torch in her house and decided to take her unwell children to her mother’s house yesterday.