People have told of their relief after they were finally reconnected after 10 days without electricity.

Northern Powergrid is in its “last push” to restore electricity in areas of the country after it was cut off by Storm Arwen, which battered the country during the last days of November.

The same homes are now expected to be hit by Storm Barra, which has already made its effects felt across the UK and Ireland, with gusty winds battering communities.

The Met Office said it is likely that Barra will not be as bad as Arwen, but that disruption to the travel network is likely, with snow and heavy rain in some areas until Wednesday.

Elsewhere, some short-term loss of power is possible due to the wind.

On Monday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said more than 1,000 homes were still left without power but that he was assured by Northern Powergrid boss, Phil Jones, that “affected properties would be reconnected tomorrow (Tuesday) at the latest”.

Mr Johnson expressed frustration at the situation, saying “too many people have spent too long without power” and said the situation in northern England was not acceptable.

Stewart Sexton, 57, said his power at his home near Alnwick has finally been restored after 10 days.

Mr Sexton said he and his partner, Jane, were forced to live without power from November 26 after a telegraph pole in their village snapped. He said they used candles for light and used a wood-burning stove to heat up pans of water to wash and make hot drinks.

He said: “Our electricity was connected at around 6pm last night (Monday). We were 10 days without heating and I have no idea how we coped. It was worse for a lot of people but was still a nightmare.

“It has been absolutely exhausting. Even today, I still haven’t warmed through yet. It feels like you’ve been camping or to a 10-day music festival. How elderly people and people with young children coped is beyond me.”

Mr Sexton said the light at the end of the tunnel – and in the house – came at around 6pm on Monday after engineers had spent up to six hours working to fix the telegraph pole.

He said: “It’s such a relief.”

Despite assurances that Storm Barra will not be as devastating as its predecessor, forecasters say there is “a small chance” that larger-than-usual waves in coastal areas could present a risk of injury or potentially a threat to life if wild winds whip street furniture and beach material into the air.

Gusts of 70mph have already been recorded at Berry Head in south Devon, and on Sherkin Island, south-west of Co Cork in Ireland.

Heavy snow is expected across parts of Scotland and northern England from late on Tuesday morning, the Met Office said, although mostly between the Scottish Highlands and the Pennines.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicky Maxey said: “We are not expecting the impacts of Barra to be as bad as we saw with Arwen.

“Storm Barra will bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to many parts of the UK today.

“We may see some snow on the higher ground, too.

“It is unlikely to be as impactful as Storm Arwen last week but there will be blustery conditions so people should still be prepared.”

Yellow weather warnings for wind and snow are in place across much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, although the west of Ireland will receive the worst of the storm on Tuesday.

The Environment Agency had 11 flood warnings in place as of 3.30pm on Tuesday.

They are along the south coast of England between Dorset and Hampshire, in Christchurch, Beaulieu, Fareham, and Langstone and Emsworth, and along the Essex coast at Coalhouse Fort.

There are also 55 flood alerts also in place, meaning flooding is possible.