Storm Arwen: Government 'asleep at the wheel' when it comes to extreme weather support, Ed Miliband says

Ed Miliband accused the Government of treating people in the North and Scotland as “second class citizens” as more than 1000 households across the North East and north of the border remain without power more than ten days after Storm Arwen struck.

The storm which hit last weekend hit power supplies to more than one million households, and now Storm Barra, due to arrive in the next 24 hours, could bring further disruption.

Climate Change Minister Greg Hands was called to the House of Commons this afternoon to answer questions on the continuing problems, and said that homes still being without power is “completely unacceptable”.

Quoting a Conservative councillor from northern England, Doncaster North MP Mr Miliband said: “‘If this happened in London or in the South East everything would have got thrown at it’.

“They are his words. Aren’t people in the North entitled to think he is right? They have been treated as second-class citizens.”

Mr Miliband, who led the opposition between 2010 and 2015, also said lessons had not been learned from past storms, telling MPs: “We have been here before. After the 2013 storms multiple reports were produced. I have got them here for him and they identify problems of communication, the vulnerability of the network, complacency of the companies.”

Mr Miliband accused Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng of taking a “photo opportunity” in a visit to the affected area last week, and added: “Isn’t the only conclusion that the Government has been asleep at the wheel, not just in the last 10 days but for the best part of a decade?

Mr Hands denied that the visit was a photo opportunity and added: “The Secretary of State actually visited the armed forces, he visited engineers, he visited local residents, he visited the relief centres and so on.

“It was most definitely not a photo opportunity… it was actually an opportunity to thank those who had responded.”

A Northumberland resident who is facing his 11th night without power and heating has said he has “no hope left at all” .

Stewart Sexton who lives in Alnwick said Northern Power Grid has promised the electricity would be switched back on within 24 hours every day since Arwen hit.

Mr Sexton, 57, said: “It’s exhausting, it’s wearing us down, and it’s a constant worry. Every day seems to bring a new problem.

“On day nine there was torrential rain and our village started to flood. That was mainly because of the storm debris.

“What happened was that then flooded our village water works – it flooded our sewage system. Our neighbour couldn’t use his toilet without it flooding.

“I had to clear standing water from the road, which got my clothes wet, and then return to a house without heating.

“From my window I can see a snapped telegraph pole and cables lying on the ground.

“The weather forecast is dreadful. We have not got any hope at all. It’s awful, it’s the futility of it.”