Storm Arwen ‘worst in 15 years’, as government defends ongoing power outages

Energy minister Greg Hands described Storm Arwen as “the worst in 15 years”, as thousands of people in North East England were still left without power more than a week on from the storm.

The north-east England has been badly affected by Storm Arwen, as Hands confirmed around 1,600 residents are still without power.

Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, the minister for energy said 99.8% affected by the storm have had their power supply restored.

On the weekend, Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng described the lengthy power cuts as “completely unacceptable”.

Commenting on the absence of the business secretary in the Commons, climate change secretary Ed Miliband said his no-show “adds insult to injury”.

Further disruptive region is expected in the region in the coming days. A yellow Met Office weather warning is in place for north-east England as Storm Barra hits on Tuesday, bringing gale force winds and heavy rain to the area.