Storm Eunice aftermath in Suffolk: Thousands of homes without power as A14 Orwell Bridge reopens

Suffolk is recovering today after being battered by Storm Eunice with thousands of homes still without electricity.

UK Power Networks said the storm caused significant damage to parts of the network in the South East and East of England after the worst sustained high winds seen in the region for years.

A spokesman said: "The weather caused a month’s worth of faults in a day. Our equipment has been damaged in more than 1,800 locations."

As of 6am, it had managed to restore more than 84 per cent of those affected to 533,312 properties.

In Suffolk, 11,900 properties were still without power, with 3,900 in Norfolk. By 11.30am, there were still 9,000 in Suffolk and 2,800 in Norfolk.

A spokesman added: "Now winds have subsided, engineers are working to locate, assess and begin repairing damage to restore supplies as quickly as possible.

"We will be prioritising damage affecting the largest groups of customers first.

"We are working hard to restore all supplies as quickly as possible, although this is a multi-day event."

A large part of Ixworth, near Bury St Edmunds, has been without power for the last 24 hours and it is expected to take a further day to restore.

The village hall is available to anyone without power.

The major incident declared in Suffolk yesterday was stood down earlier today.

Meanwhile, Suffolk Highways teams worked through the night to clear trees and debris from the county's roads.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman said: "As of last night, teams have responded to 238 reports - amazing effort, thank you."

As of 12.15pm, Suffolk Highways has dealt with more than 195 incidents since the storm hit and the majority were fallen trees.

It has 52 incidents outstanding and closures remain in place due to fallen power lines.

National Highways has confirmed the A14 Orwell Bridge near Ipswich is fully open in both directions between junctions 56 and 57 after it was shut yesterday.

A spokesman said: "If you were affected by the closure we thank you for your patience and understanding."

Work also started last night to clear a fallen tree from Gainsborough Street in Sudbury.

The East of England is facing further unsettled weather this weekend.

The Met Office has also issued a weather warning for wind for tomorrow and Monday.

Greater Anglia has announced some routes have reopened to a limited service but many will remain closed or suspended until further notice.