Cumbria snow: Power disruption continues after major incident

About 1,000 homes remain without power in Cumbria after a major incident was declared due to heavy snow.

Schools have been closed and some roads continue to be impassable as icy conditions grip the area.

Electricity North West (ENWL) said the snow had caused “severe damage” to miles of overhead lines.

Cumbria Police urged people to take care on the roads, which were likely to be “icy and slippery”.

About 45 schools were closed for Monday in areas including Kendal, Ambleside, Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness.

A multi-agency response was launched on Saturday after the Met Office issued an amber warning for snow.

It said 4-6in (10-15cm) of snowfall was possible in some areas before it eased overnight and into Sunday.

The call-outs included teams helping with a potential cardiac arrest, a suspected stroke and a suspected spinal injury caused from a sledging accident.

ENWL said engineers were “battling treacherous conditions” and impassable roads to restore supplies.

Customer director Stephanie Trubshaw said: “These are without a doubt some of the worst conditions we have seen in terms of snow for several years.”

A spokesman said staff had worked through the night to complete restorations and about 6,000 customers had supply restored by Monday morning.

ENWL said teams were working to restore 1,000 homes with power.

It said free hot food would be available on Monday morning at Greenodd Service Station in Ulverston for customers affected by the power cuts.