Storm Arwen: 297 British Army and Royal Marines personnel checking on vulnerable people

The Ministry of Defence said 297 personnel from the British Army and Royal Marines are supporting civil authorities in areas impacted by Storm Arwen and are conducting door-to-door checks on vulnerable people in their homes and providing reassurance to local communities.

Eighty soldiers of 4 Royal Artillery based at Alan Brook Barracks in Topcliffe have deployed to Northumberland on Saturday to check on vulnerable people and identify where additional support is required, a statement said.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Our dedicated Armed Forces personnel are working side by side with civil authorities to provide essential support to communities impacted by Storm Arwen.

“The ability to deploy quickly to wherever in the UK assistance is requested makes us all safer and ensures we are able to look protect the most vulnerable in our society.”

The head of the energy market regulator has also agreed with electricity companies to lift the cap on compensation for customers whose power was not restored quickly enough following Storm Arwen.

Ofgem announced on Friday it was launching a review of the companies’ response to the storm which left thousands of homes without electricity.

The agreement between the regulator and companies means customers could receive more than the cap of £700 if firms are found to have fallen short of their obligations.