Power supply warning as West Norfolk assesses Storm Ciara damage
Some West Norfolk residents may not have power supplies restored until tomorrow night, as engineers battle to fix the damage caused by Storm Ciara, officials have said tonight.
The warning comes after a day of high winds which have damaged buildings, brought down trees and caused significant disruption to rail services.
The gales have also led to widespread problems for the electricity network today with fallen wires and loss of supply in many areas.
And, although UK Power Network says it is doing all it can to fix the problems, it could be well into tomorrow before all supplies are back on.
A message posted on the company's website in relation to one of the affected areas, around Watlington, said: "Storm Ciara has caused extensive damage to the electricity network across the country.
"Please be assured we are completing repairs as quickly as possible, and supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances where possible.
"Due to the amount of damage, it is unlikely we will be able to restore your electricity tonight. Please accept our apologies and check back here for updates."
In other areas, the company estimates that dozens of customers affected by a loss of supply in the Wimbotsham area are likely to be in the dark until tomorrow afternoon.
And residents affected by a fault on equipment supplying homes in the Salters Lode area may have to wait until around 8.30pm tomorrow night for the lights to come back on.
Ahead of the weekend, UK Power Networks said it was bringing in extra engineers and other staff to cope with the weather conditions over the coming days.
Elsewhere, more dramatic pictures have emerged of the damage caused when a roof was blown off in North Lynn this afternoon.
Damage has also been caused to buildings at Lynn and Sandringham, while emergency crews were called to unsafe structures in Swaffham, Southrey and Clenchwarton earlier in the day.
And a father also told of his lucky escape when roofing was blown off a building in Tower Place, Lynn, while he was walking with his daughter.
Among dozens of calls to the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service today, crews have also had to deal with reports of flooding in Fakenham and Burnham Deepdale.
Transport networks have also been badly affected, with West Norfolk's main train operator, Great Northern, repeating its warning to passengers not to travel, following a day when its trains from Lynn have only gone as far as Cambridge.
The firm says it aims to run a full service tomorrow but is advising passengers to check before they travel.
An amber Met Office weather warning for high winds is due to expire at 9pm this evening, though a yellow warning is still in place until midnight.
