UK set for more snow and heavy wind as country struggles to recover from Storm Arwen

4 December 2021, 22:16 | Updated: 4 December 2021, 23:28

Snow, rain and wind is set to batter the country over the coming days, with thousands of people still without power in the aftermath of Storm Arwen.

With work still going on to restore power to nearly 5,000 people in northern England and Scotland, the Met Office is predicting temperatures of between 4C and 6C accompanied by some gale-force winds for the region over the coming days.

Forecasters say they expect to see "unsettled" weather, with snow in the Cairngorms and Northern Pennines overnight on Saturday before turning drier and less windy into Sunday.

But the temporary relief will end on Monday when a band of rain and snow is expected, along with more wind, in the second half of the day.

From Tuesday, the UK is set to see continued wind, rain, and snow - with a likelihood of more strong winds, although not as strong as Arwen, into Wednesday.

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Simon Partridge, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "In terms of the process of reconnecting power supplies and getting to remote areas, it's not helpful - probably tomorrow being the best day and probably the first half of Tuesday as well, some decent conditions.

"Other than that, a fair bit of rain, some hill snow, and some reasonably strong winds - certainly aiding to slow down the process of reconnecting supplies and getting to the more remote locations to clear trees and so forth.

"It's certainly not ideal, and the higher locations certainly will be seeing some more snow in the coming days."

The Met Office has also issued yellow weather warnings for rain in parts of the north east of England and a yellow warning for snow for parts of the south east of Scotland.

Armed forces deployed to areas cut off by extreme weather

Around 4,700 homes across northern England and Scotland are still without power - more than a week after the storm hit on November 26, according to industry body the Energy Networks Association (ENA).

On Saturday, Boris Johnson said he said he has held calls with those leading the response to Storm Arwen, adding he remains "concerned" that thousands of households still do not have power.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said the Government is ready to further support the recovery work "in any way we can".

The long delays have prompted energy regulator Ofgem to warn it will take enforcement action against network companies which failed to restore power to customers quickly enough following the storm.

It has also agreed with firms to lift the £700 cap on compensation which could be given to customers.

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The change will allow those affected to claim £70 for each 12-hour period they are left without power, after an initial £70 for the first 48 hours.

The Ministry of Defence said 297 personnel from the British Army and Royal Marines are supporting civil authorities and are conducting door-to-door checks on vulnerable people in their homes and providing reassurance to local communities.