8,000 homes without power

An abandoned car in Durham on Friday evening (PA)

Britain will begin to thaw out today as forecasters predicted the worst of the bad weather was over. But the change will come too late for the 8,000 households still without electricity after gale force winds and snow downed power lines.

In Co Durham the A66, which was closed on Friday because of heavy blizzards, was reopened yesterday. Hundreds of motorists, including 40 pensioners, had to be rescued after being left stranded on the remote road, and many were evacuated to a village hall and a pub in Bowes, while others continued their journey when the snow cleared.

In the North-east and North Yorkshire, the operation to restore power to homes began yesterday after severe weather on Friday led to power cuts. In all 45,000 homes were affected, supplier CE Electric said.

Forecasters predict milder weather for most of the UK today. A Met Office spokesman said: "The conditions are unusual but not unprecedented, but over the longer term you might expect more severe storms."