Storm Éowyn clean-up operation gets under way

A clean-up operation is under way after Storm Éowyn tore across northern England.

Wind gusts reached up to 96mph (154 km/h) in Northumberland on Friday, with trees being brought down, roofs ripped off, roads closed and all rail services suspended in Cumbria.

People living in tens of thousands of homes spent Friday night without power and Electricity North West warned it could take until Sunday evening to reconnect all of the affected properties.

Rail services continue to be disrupted, with no Transpennine Express services operating north of Carlisle.

Network Rail said recovery operations were under way to repair damage to the West Coast Main Line, the Cumbrian coastline, Settle to Carlisle and the Morecambe and Windermere branch lines.

Both Avanti West Coast and Northern issued "do not travel" advice on its lines in Cumbria.

No Avanti services are running north of Preston, to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

And there were no Northern services between Leeds and Lancaster.

Electricity North West said power had been restored to 66,000 properties across its network, but 7,300 still needed to reconnected.

North Cumbria was the worst affected area, it said, with a team of "door knockers" set to visit hard-to-reach areas on Saturday.

There were also power cuts in south Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

Drier and brighter conditions were in store as the tail end of the storm passes, said BBC Weather presenter Georgie Palmer.

There have been tales of the communities pulling together in adversity.

Workers at Berwick Animal Rescue Kennels said Premier Building and Restoration volunteered to repair a storm-damaged wooden fence for them.

"[It] made such a difference to us as not only are the premises nice and secure but the animals can get out for their walks safely and not be stressed by the banging of the fence," said manager Jan Ross.

Scores of trees were felled across Northumberland, with arborists clearing the roads on Friday afternoon.

On Tyneside, Redheugh Bridge escaped structural damage after an HGV destroyed a long section of the pedestrian guard rail, Gateshead Council said.

The bridge across the River Tyne was closed for most of Friday, with workers only being able to carry out repairs once the winds had subsided.

Roads around the Sands Centre in Carlisle were due to reopen on Saturday morning, Cumberland Council said.

A temporary canopy, installed as part of the Raac replacement on the building's auditorium roof, was ripped in the strong winds.

The building, as well as adjacent paths and car parks, will remain closed over the weekend, the authority added.

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said its control room received more than 40 emergency calls on Friday.

Workers braving the wild conditions across the region were praised for helping people.

Four staff at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton helped patients and visitors make it safely into the building, where some entrances were closed, a spokesperson from the trust said.

Maintenance assistant Luke Ferguson, security team members Gary Pickard and Aaron Sparrow, and plumber Ste Loughran stepped away from their duties to make sure people were safe.

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