NORWEB engineers worked throughout yesterday to repair more than 150 faults causing power cuts across the North West.

Gale force winds gusting up to 90mph caused disruption to electricity supplies as wind-blown debris hit powerlines. About 4,000 customers in Lancashire were affected by the power cuts yesterday.

A team of 200 linesmen and engineers were able to restore supplies to more than 90 per cent of affected customers by mid-afternoon.

Although payment is not normally made as a result of supply loss caused by severe weather, Norweb said domestic customers left without power for more than 24 hours consecutively can claim compensation.

And people across the area also began counting the cost of the devastation caused by the weather as the clean-up operation started. Blackburn with Darwen Council's emergency plumbers and joiners were kept busy round the clock.

And council workers were called to clear up after the roofs of six garages were blown into the gardens of houses on Sunny Bank Terrace, Mill Hill.

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