More gale-force wind and heavy rain

A yellow warning has been issued after 80mph winds were predicted to hit Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England late tonight.It comes after thousands are still without power, having been forced into a candlelit December 25th which threw Christmas plans into chaos – although many made the best of it.Now spells of rain, sometimes heavy, have been predicted for the regions as well as in the south of England.An Atlantic storm is making its way across the UK northeastwards ‘later on Thursday and during Friday’, the Met Office said.It added: ‘Relative to recent storms that have affected the UK, Friday’s depression is looking less intense and the extent of associated impacts are currently thought to be less severe.’The UK Power Networks has confirmed that 4,869 customers in Kent, 1,672 in Surrey, and 1,639 in Sussex are still without power today.Roughly 300,000 properties had had their power wiped out when gale-force winds and torrential rain swept through large parts of the UK earlier this week – however most of these are now up and running again.The storm caused misery for travellers on Christmas Eve after countless train, ferry and air services were cancelled and delayed.Matt Rudling from UK Power Networks said: ‘All our efforts today remain fully focused on reconnecting power supplies in the quickest way possible.‘Extra staff are on duty, many of whom have cancelled their leave to help with the repair effort or to join our additional call centres.‘We know this is a very difficult time for our customers and we want to thank them for their understanding.’Over 60 flood warnings are currently in place, including 35 in the south-east and 18 in the Midlands.(metro.co.uk)ANN.Az