Thousands of homes left without power as Storm Goretti sweeps Britain

Snow and ice are expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as parts of the country continue to reel from the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos.

- Jamie Grierson

A fox emerges into snow in north Wales, one of the areas of heavy falls

The storm brought winds of nearly 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in southwest England.

More than 40,000 properties in the region were without power yesterday afternoon, according to the National Grid’s website.

The stormy conditions resulted in nearly 100 trees being blown down at St Michael’s Mount. The island off Cornwall lost around 80% of its trees during one of the most severe wind events in recent years, according to the Met Office. No injuries were reported.

About 9,000 homes were without electricity in the West Midlands, more than 700 in the East Midlands, and more than 200 in Wales.

Downing Street said support was being offered to homes left without power.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “The latest data I have is that around 0.21% of British customers are without power. Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible. The latest numbers I have is approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far.”