Storm Bert causes power cuts and travel disruption

Thousands of homes have been hit by power cuts while travel on roads and rail have been severely disrupted due to Storm Bert.

Electricity North West said engineers had restored power to 11,000 properties in Cumbria and the north-west of England after overhead lines were damaged by "flying debris and ice accumulation".

About 450 homes remain without electricity but are expected to have power restored overnight.

The energy firm said its engineers had been on standby before the storm hit and had been making repairs since damage was first reported at 07:00 GMT.

Workington and Penrith had been hit particularly badly by the storm, the company added.

Alan Astall, from Electricity North West, said: "The network has held up well and our automatic restoration systems have kicked in in many areas, rerouting power to customers while engineers carry out repairs.

“Our teams are working hard to restore the remaining properties today, while continuing to monitor the weather."

Homes in south and west Wales, along with the east of England and West Midlands, have also been left without power after Storm Bert brought snow, high winds and heavy rain to the UK.

Energy Networks Association, which represents UK energy networks, said its members had engineers on standby as the worst of the weather was "yet to arrive".

Northern Rail has warned passengers of severe disruption on the lines between Workington and Carlisle and has told people not to travel at all between Workington and Lancaster due to flooding in Ulverston.

Avanti West Coast has advised customers not to travel north of Preston because of the storm. This includes travelling to its stations in Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Transpennine Express has cancelled all trains from Carlisle to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central.

Traffic England said the A66 was closed earlier because of snow.

Several cars have been struggling to drive uphill on the A6 to Shap.

Cumbria Police said "freezing conditions overnight" had made travelling difficult in parts of the county.

"Please drive to the conditions and do not attempt to drive through standing flood water," the force said.

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