Storm Eunice: Nearly 200,000 British homes still without power

Nearly 200,000 British homes were still without power on Saturday after Storm Eunice knocked 1.4 million households off the grid the day before, Britain’s government said.

The fierce Atlantic storm brought record winds of up to 122 mph (196 kph) to Britain, killing three people and causing widespread disruption. At least six more deaths were reported in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Business and energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng said power had been restored to 1.2 million households but 190,000 customers remained without supply.

Earlier, Britain’s Energy Networks Association said that at 0730 GMT about 226,000 customers were without power, mostly across southern England but also in the east of the country and in south Wales.

“Strong winds across southern England are impacting restoration efforts,” Kwarteng said. “We expect most customers to have supplies restored promptly,” he added.

Nearly 1 million homes lost power in November when a storm hit northeast England and eastern Scotland.

While power was restored to the vast majority of homes within 48 hours, more than 3,000 households did not regain access to mains power for a week or more, prompting the government to order a review of utility firms’ preparedness.