Thousands still without power after Storm Darragh

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Wales remain without power after Storm Darragh swept across large parts of the UK at the weekend.

Winds of up to 93mph (150km/h) battered large parts of the country, and a rare red warning was in place for much of the coast on Saturday.

National Grid said on Monday morning there were 31,972 properties without power across south and mid Wales, with Scottish Power also reporting outages across north and mid Wales.

Natural Resources Wales said there were two flood warnings in place, along with 14 flood alerts, and dozens schools were closed in several local authority areas.

Some train services and ferry sailings have also been affected, with Holyhead Port closed and scheduled sailings to Dublin cancelled “due to infrastructure weather damage”.

A port spokesperson said a “thorough assessment” was being carried out after the damage on Saturday morning and it is expected to remain closed until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday at the earliest.

Transport for Wales (TfW) said all railway lines were blocked on 11 routes, including Swansea to Milford Haven, Swansea to Shrewsbury, and Chester to Holyhead.

TfW also warned people to check before they travel on a number of routes.

National Rail Enquiries said “services may be busier than normal today and experience severe overcrowding”.

Great Western Railway said passengers should “not attempt to travel” between Swansea and Carmarthen until at least 12:00 GMT.

Dozens of schools across Wales are closed or partially closed, including in Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Gwynedd and Flintshire.

Ceredigion council said its teams had been out clearing trees on main roads over the weekend, advising that it may be some time before they are able to clear other roads.

It also opened a number of drop-in centres where those without power can have showers, charge phones and keep warm.

One of those affected by the loss of power is fashion presenter Huw “Fash” Rees, who is dependent on electricity to receive kidney dialysis.

Mr Rees, from Brynamman, Carmarthenshire, told BBC Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast that he had been without power all weekend and he had to go to hospital on Sunday night to have blood tests, followed by dialysis on Monday.

“When you don’t get dialysis, all the toxins stay in the body,” he said.

Mr Rees said he was “very hopeful” the electricity supply would return soon.

He called for better planning for people who depend on power supplies for their health, saying he had not yet received a call from the electricity board offering help, even though he is on a priority list because he is vulnerable.

Kris Meredith, owner of The Crystal Hut on Llandudno Pier, in Conwy county, said “it was heartbreaking to watch” as the pier suffered severe damage in the storm.

He said part of the roof of his hut had been ripped off and the hut that overturned was leaning against it.

Mr Meredith said he was not yet able to visit the hut to inspect the damage.

“We’ve just got to sit there like everybody else and wait and hope and pray that, basically, everything will be okay and that’s been one of the hardest things to do,” he said.