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UK weather: Thousands of homes still without power after Storm Gerrit | UK News

Thousands of homes are still without power after Storm Gerrit wreaked havoc across northern England and Scotland.

The chaotic weather has delivered everything from heavy snow to a damaging tornado, ruining many people’s journeys home from Christmas festivities.

Around 1,500 properties in Scotland are still suffering electricity outages, with people in the northeast and Shetland among the worst affected.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) hopes to restore power to the remaining households on Friday and welfare vans serving hot food and drink will be open to customers in the meantime.

Handout photo courtesy of James Matheson of a flooded road in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. Police Scotland has urged drivers stuck on the A9 due to the effects of Storm Gerrit to remain in their vehicles. Drivers have been asked to stay in their vehicles, keep warm and tune in to local radio or social media where further updates will be provided as soon as possible. It comes as travellers across Scotland endure disruption due to poor weather conditions caused by Storm Gerrit. Picture date: Wednesday D
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A flooded road in Cupar, Fife, this week

‘Absolute disaster’

The storm is also still being felt in northern England and Wales.

Stalybridge, Tameside, and Carrbrook in Greater Manchester are in a “recovery phase”, local authorities have said, after they were hit by a rare tornado that toppled trees and damaged homes.

The freak whirlwind was thought to have been caused by a supercell thunderstorm, and residents said it had left some homes looking like “an absolute disaster”.

Elsewhere, three men died after their 4×4 vehicle was submerged in the River Esk, near Glaisdale.

In Wales, 36,000 properties were left without power after lightning struck in Ceredigion.

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Residents in shock after ‘mini tornado’

Travel disruption set to continue

Storm Gerrit brought chaos to roads, railway lines, airports, and ferry services nationwide earlier in the week – and the disruption isn’t over as the weekend beckons.

The Met Office has said the final days of 2023 will see more strong wind, rain, and snow, though there are no weather warnings in place.

But the Environment Agency has 33 active flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, covering rivers including the Severn and Ouse.

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Flying through Storm Gerrit in a helicopter

ScotRail, LNER, Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway are among the train companies to have told passengers they should check before travelling in the coming days.

While many lines have reopened since the storm blew through, services could still be suspended or cancelled due to system faults and damage.

The London Euston and Watford Junction lines are not expected to be fully online until the end of Friday, while Welsh train services are expected to be hampered until Monday.

Ferries are also still expecting trouble, with journeys between Dover and France impacted by wind.

Greater Manchester ‘fireball’: ‘Big bang’ explosion at substation causes power outages | UK News

Dashcam footage captured the moment a “fireball” erupted in the sky at an electricity substation in Greater Manchester.

The explosion occurred at around 8.50am on Wednesday morning in Stalybridge, Tameside.

Fraser Cottrell managed to record the moment the fire dramatically began on his car’s dashcam.

He said there was a “big bang” and “then the power went off”.

Fire in Tameside

Mr Cottrell told the Manchester Evening News that the traffic lights were affected, and his partner had rung to say the power in their flat went off and on as well.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said three fire engines from three stations – in Stalybridge, Ashton-Under-Lyne, and Mossley – were called to the scene on Bayley Street.

The service confirmed the fire involved an electricity substation.

It added officers were working with Electricity North West and Greater Manchester Police to secure the area.

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Fire in Tameside
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Aftermath of the fireball

A police cordon was put up on Clarence Street, with Tameside Council urging people to avoid the area, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The road had reopened by midday.

Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor to retire from darts after farewell tour next year | UK News

Phil Taylor, who has won a record 16 world championships, has announced he will retire from competitive darts next year.

Nicknamed ‘The Power’, Taylor says the World Senior Darts Tour in 2024 will be his final year on the circuit, following an “unbelievable journey over the past 35 years” in the sport.

The 63-year-old star, from Stoke-on-Trent, had originally stepped away from darts after reaching the final of the PDC World Championship in 2018.

But then he returned to competition last year.

He has spent the last two seasons on the senior tour where he reached the quarter-finals in 2022 and 2023, but will aim to go out on a high in 2024.

After his retirement, he will continue to be involved in the tour as an ambassador.

Taylor, who is often named the greatest darts player of all time, said: “I’ll always love performing to the best of my ability, but time waits for no man and I know now is the right time to step away from the tour.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“I’m going to be working just as hard as I always have to make sure I give the fans what they want and go out on top.”

Phil Taylor
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Pic: AP

Taylor won his first world championship in 1990 when he beat five-time champion, the ‘Crafty Cockney’ Eric Bristow. His 16th and last world title was in 2013 when he defeated Michael van Gerwen.

The World Senior Darts Tour is made up of 11 events, including the World Senior Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, in February.

The tour’s Billy Lovell said: “Phil is one of the greatest sports people the UK has ever produced and we would like to place on record how grateful we are that he decided to come out of retirement at the beginning of our project.

“We have absolutely loved having him around and we’re sure his final year on tour with us will be great fun.”

Reduced chance of winter power blackouts despite loss of coal back-up – grid operator | Business News

The risk of the lights going out is down this winter, with power margins almost back to levels seen before the energy crisis, according to an eagerly awaited report.

National Grid ESO’s annual winter outlook, which assesses its own readiness for the coldest months of November to March, said it only saw a matter of minutes when the balance between supply and demand would not be met.

It forecast a margin of 7.4% capacity.

That means it expects to have 4.4 gigawatts (GW) of power in hand to meet its reliability standard.

The figure represents an improvement on the 6.3% (3.7 GW) that was expected this time last year when Russia’s war with Ukraine – and sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion – squeezed gas supplies across Europe, forcing energy prices up to unprecedented levels.

Struggles for nuclear output in France last year also placed a greater strain on UK resources.

The latest report concluded, however, that the Grid was still likely to have to issue so-called “margin notices” over winter for periods when the supply-demand balance is especially tight.

These are calls for power generators to provide as much as they can to the network.

That was despite more domestic generation being available, the Grid said, along with increased levels of battery storage and the ability to share power with other nations including France and Belgium.

The operator will also have the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS), introduced last year, to fall back on again as an additional tool.

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June: Blackout prevention scheme to stay

The scheme will see signatory households and businesses paid for turning off power-intensive appliances at times when power availability is stretched.

The DFS was utilised during a cold snap at the end of last winter following numerous test events that the Grid said had, when combined, saved enough electricity to power nearly 10 million homes.

Craig Dyke, the ESO’s head of national control, said of the blackout risk: “Compared to last year it is almost going back to around where it was before last winter.

“So the risks that we talked about last year, the probability of them occurring, are much, much lower.”

The main challenge facing the Grid this autumn is the loss of five coal-fired power plants that were held in reserve last winter.

They were able to be fired up in readiness to produce electricity when, for example, the wind did not blow but talks with EDF and Drax during the spring failed to produce a deal on new standby contracts.

Because there is no coal back-up to call on if margins become tight, gas and nuclear capacity becomes more essential.

A separate report by National Gas, which operates Britain’s gas grid, said it did not foresee higher exports to Europe this year due to improved storage levels on the continent.

As such, it believed there would be less pressure on domestic supplies and that less gas would be needed to produce electricity due to improved output from other sources, especially wind.

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Any unexpected loss of wind, gas or nuclear generation means the country would be at the mercy of available power in neighbouring countries through the so-called interconnector network.

There are five in operation, connecting the UK with France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Norway.

A sixth interconnector, Viking Link, is still under construction but is expected to join the UK with Denmark late this year.

Once operational, the two countries will be able to share enough electricity to power up to 1.4 million homes.

Over the course of a year, the UK tends to import more power than it exports through these arrangements.

This can add to bills depending on the power sources utilised, though the UK’s leading position in wind power can also work in its favour.

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Energy price cap falls

The fact remains, however, that energy bills remain around £1,000 per year higher than typical pre-pandemic levels.

A household paying by direct debit for gas and electricity will face an average annual charge of £1,923 from October to December, a fall of about £150 on the previous three months.

Experts warn that the loss of universal government support for bills will mean many households will be worse off this winter than last, particularly when industry forecasts suggest the average bill will be back above £2,000 when the next price cap adjustment is made for January-March.

Power grid operator fires up contingency plans as cold snap hits | Business News

Britain’s power system operator has triggered contingency plans in case supplies can’t keep up with demand in the current cold snap.

National Grid ESO issued a so-called electricity margin notice (EMN) overnight and later ordered four out of five coal-fired plants, kept in reserve, to warm up in case they were needed.

It said of the EMN: “This is a routine tool that we use most winters, and means we are asking generators to make available any additional generation capacity they may have,” the company said on Twitter.

An EMN does not mean electricity supply was at risk, it added.

Separately, start-up instructions were issued to generators – two at Drax’s site in North Yorkshire and two at West Burton in Lincolnshire.

A general view of Drax Power Station on March 02, 2020 in Selby, England
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Coal-fired power is retained only to be used if other sources fail to keep up with demand

While they will not necessarily be needed, they will be available if required.

National Grid ESO said the EMN was in place for the hours between 4.30pm and 8.30pm on Tuesday.

The notice reflects efforts to ensure the lights can be kept on as the northern half of Britain, in particular, is hit by snow and ice.

Temperatures overnight are forecast to fall as low as -15C in some areas of Scotland.

UK weather – latest: Forecasts warn of -15C as snow and ice to hit roads, trains and bus services

The power grid operator has used other tools in its box during the winter to help protect supply margins, such as triggering the Demand Flexibility Service, which sees household signatories paid to turn off high-usage appliances at peak times.

The UK has five coal-fired units that are ready to be switched on if required to help guarantee energy security.

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They have become increasingly important in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine which disrupted gas supplies to Europe and when the wind hasn’t blown.

While the UK shares power through so-called interconnectors with other countries, the gas squeeze has combined with other factors to damage the ability to import electricity when needed.

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UK renewables take over in 2022

These have included a large number of nuclear plant shutdowns in France, though capacity has improved as the winter months have progressed.

A relatively mild winter on the continent has also prevented countries from burning through their gas stocks.

An ESO spokesperson added: “The ESO has issued a notification that we will warm four of our five winter contingency coal units for potential use on Tuesday 7 March.

“This notification is not confirmation that the unit will be used on Tuesday, but that it will be available to the ESO, if required.

“The ESO as a prudent system operator has developed these tools for additional contingency to operate the network as normal. This does not mean electricity supplies are at risk.”

Brianna Ghey: Vigils held across UK to remember trans teen fatally stabbed in park – ‘rest in power’ | UK News

A series of vigils were held across the country on Friday night to remember Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old who was stabbed to death last weekend in Warrington, Cheshire.

Hundreds of people gathered at Culcheth Village Green close to where Brianna, a transgender girl, was found with fatal stab wounds on a path in a park on 11 February.

The vigil was attended by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and his daughter Annie. Mr Burnham was brought up in the village.

“Here to remember Brianna, send our love to her family and support to young trans people everywhere,” he tweeted.

Many of those at the vigil – one of dozens around the UK – wore “Rest in power Brianna Ghey” T-shirts as crowds sang Over The Rainbow.

Tricia Anderton, 59, the secretary of Culcheth Village Choir, said: “We were very proud to play even just a small part of this evening’s vigil for Brianna.

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Brianna’s friends ‘sick and in disbelief’

“We are a very close community in Culcheth, with many of our choir members having lived in the village for many years and this awful tragedy has touched the hearts of everyone.

“We were asked specifically to sing Over The Rainbow, and it was so lovely to hear everyone joining in.

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“Our thoughts and prayers are with Brianna’s family and friends.”

Hundreds of people also gathered outside the Hippodrome Theatre in Birmingham, and other vigils took place in Southampton, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Hippodrome in Birmingham
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Brianna Ghey was found with fatal stab wounds in a park in Warrington on 11 February

Meanwhile in a statement, Brianna’s family said they were “overwhelmed” by the “support, positivity and compassion” shown across the country.

Further memorials are planned over the weekend, with another in her home town of Warrington on Saturday afternoon.

A boy and a girl, both aged 15, have been charged with her murder – they appeared via videolink at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.

A trial date has been set for July.

Tens of thousands of homes without power as Storm Otto brings strong winds to UK | UK News

Tens of thousands of homes are without power as Storm Otto brings winds of more than 80mph to parts of the UK.

Energy company SSEN said that, as of 11am Friday, 30,000 properties in Scotland were without power and it could be more than two days before supply is restored.

The network has a number of faults on its high voltage network due to fallen trees, branches and other windblown debris.

Mark Rough, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said power has been restored to 10,000 properties so far.

He added: “Despite the widespread nature of the storm, coupled with ongoing adverse weather conditions and challenges with access, our teams have made good progress restoring power to homes impacted.

“With wind speeds expected to subside from around midday, we expect to make significant progress throughout the course of today.”

In England, around 1,300 homes in Ripon and 1,330 homes near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, are without power, with Northern Powergrid also reporting supply cuts in Northumberland, Darlington and Leeds.

The Met Office recorded wind gusts of 83mph at Inverbervie in Scotland’s north east, while winds elsewhere reached up to 75mph.

Schools were closed in some parts of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, and the roof of a school in Carnoustie, Angus, was damaged by the wind.

In Aberdeenshire, the council said several GP practices were operating emergency services only, as they were among those to have lost power supply.

Train operator Scot Rail is also running an emergency timetable with speed restrictions.

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Yellow weather warnings for wind are in place covering parts of north and north-east England and southern Scotland until 2pm, while a warning for snow and ice in parts of Scotland starts late tonight and lasts until 9am tomorrow.

In other Otto-related disruption on Friday:

• A1(M) affected by a number of closures or delays due to overturned lorries – between J48 and 49, and 60 and 59
• A1(M) closed to high-sided vehicles in both directions between J47 and 56
• Leeds Bradford Airport is open but there is disruption to flights, a spokesperson said
• Some services cancelled by London North Eastern Railway
• Tree blocking the rail line between Harrogate and Knaresborough in Yorkshire
• Reports of trees blocking roads in Harrogate and Leeds

A person walking a dog on Tynemouth beach on the North east coast, as Storm Otto hits parts of Scotland and north-east England as it moves across the UK on Friday.
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Tynemouth beach

A Met Office spokesperson said: “The strong winds from Storm Otto will ease through the day as the low pressure moves out into the North Sea.

“After a relatively dry day with good sunny spells in places, cloud will build from the west this evening before rain and snow move across most parts overnight.”

Check the forecast in your area

Forecasters said snow is likely to fall in locations over 300 metres, with 2-5cm possible across the warning area, and 5-10cm over the highest locations.

“Rain and hill snow will ease in the early morning of Saturday, with some brightness, though rain will return later from the west. There will be some drizzly rain further south, but it will be mild with a few brighter spells by afternoon.

“Wet and windy conditions will return for the north of Scotland on Sunday as an area of low pressure skirts to the north of the UK.”

Barbie doll with scoliosis unveiled as toy company aims to highlight the ‘power of representation’ | UK News

A barbie doll maker has made history by introducing its first doll with scoliosis.

The toy company’s line for Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea, will see a new addition that features curvature of the spine and a removable back brace, aimed at normalising the equipment and encouraging children to celebrate inclusion.

The team at Mattel worked closely with Dr Luke Macyszyn, a board-certified neurosurgeon and specialist in children’s complex spinal disorders, who advised the designers throughout the doll’s development.

The 15cm doll wears a pink dress and has a removable green back brace, white shoes, and her brown hair is styled in waves.

Celebrating inclusivity

Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel, said: “We believe in the power of representation and are committed to creating dolls in a variety of looks so that kids can see themselves in Barbie – and now in a line celebrating Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea”.

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The Chelsea doll has a removable back brace and is a way for kids to be more “reflective” of the world around them.

Barbie doll with scoliosis unveiled. Pic: PA
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Barbie doll with scoliosis unveiled. Pic: PA

In hopes of creating a conversation, McKnight added: “Our Chelsea line provides infinitely more ways to spark storytelling, all while providing kids with a way to develop their empathy and social processing skills through doll play.”

After being criticised in the past for making dolls too thin and overly sexual, the company have now been creating a more diverse range, but some of these have also sparked controversy.

Some of the dolls included: Wheelchair-using dolls, Plus size, Hijab-wearing and sign language dolls.

In 2022, the company also released its first Barbie with hearing aids – supported by Strictly Come Dancing winner, Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Cold snap forces National Grid to put three coal power generators on standby | Climate News

Britain is firing up three coal power generators ready for use on Monday as a prolonged cold snap grips the country.

The National Grid said the three generators – two at Drax’s site in North Yorkshire and one at West Burton in Lincolnshire – will not necessarily be needed tomorrow.

But it has asked them to be warmed up and ready to run if required.

The recent cold spell that has brought sub-zero temperatures, freezing fog and snow to swathes of the country is set to continue into next week.

Check the weather forecast where you are

The plants on standby are three of the five coal power units that were set for retirement, but whose lives were extended through this winter in a bid to boost supplies amid energy security fears.

“This morning we’ve issued a notification to warm the winter contingency coal units. This measure should give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply,” the ESO (Electricity System Operator) branch of the National Grid said.

“The ESO as a prudent system operator has these tools for additional contingency to operate the network as normal and the public should continue to use energy as normal.”

In October the ESO warned it was “likely to be a challenging winter for energy supply throughout Europe” but said it was planning for a 6.3% margin to ensure reliable electricity supply.

This is the second time this winter that coal plants have been put on standby. They were also warmed up in December when snow blanketed much of the country and energy demand climbed, but they were not eventually needed.

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Government support for business energy bills will be cut in April as the chancellor moves to reduce taxpayer exposure to the soaring cost of gas and electricity in 2023

Coal is the most polluting type of fossil fuel, and has been broadly been phased out in the UK as it seeks to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and stave off dangerous levels of climate change.

But ministers in Britain, along with those in Germany and Italy, warned they may be forced to burn more coal after Russian President Vladimir Putin squeezed Europe’s gas supplies, sending prices soaring and threatening supplies.

Germany called its decision to fire up old coal plants a “bitter but necessary” pill to swallow as it sought to replace Russian gas.

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm.

All on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

UK weather: Thousands face fourth day without power in Shetland in icy conditions – with warnings disruption could last into weekend | UK News

Thousands of people in Shetland are facing a fourth day without power as engineers battle to restore supplies amid the threat of further snowfall and freezing temperatures.

Some 2,400 homes remain without power in Voe, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland – with engineers warning that power may not be restored to some properties until the weekend.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution said it was continuing to “battle prolonged severe weather conditions”.

A team of 125 people is carrying out repairs to restore power, with SSEN saying “this remains likely to extend to the end of this week”.

“Depending on weather conditions and travel availability, it is possible this could extend into the weekend for some properties,” it added.

Icy conditions are forecast to continue over the next 24 hours, with frequent rain, sleet, hail and snow showers.

The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice covering northern Scotland and north-east England until 11.59pm on Thursday.