Bad weather hampers cable repair in County Durham

High winds and a build up of ice brought lines down

Deep snow and bad weather hampered attempts to restore power to 150 homes in County Durham.

Properties in Wearhead, Cowshill, Lanehead and Cornriggs were without electricity after power cables came down on Tuesday night.

CE Electric used helicopters and off-road vehicles to reach the area which has been blanketed by snow, with drifts of up to two metres (6ft) in places.

The firm said the problem was finally resolved on Wednesday afternoon.

The power lines came down in high winds after a build up of ice.

CE Electric spokesman Michael Sargood said: "We would like to thank the people of Wear Valley for their patience and understanding whilst our staff braved some pretty atrocious weather conditions to get the lights and heat back on.

"We will continue to monitor electricity supplies in the area closely over the coming days to ensure that all our repairs have been fully effective.

"The welfare of our customers has been our top concern and we've worked closely with local authorities to ensure that the needs of elderly and vulnerable people were met."