4 April 2012 Last updated at 15:55 ET

Gales cause power cuts to thousands of homes

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Kevin Maddox survived on a takeaway pizza when his car became stuck

Thousands of homes and businesses in England are without electricity after gales and ice brought down power lines.

Northern Powergrid said about 8,000 customers were still without power, including in west Northumberland, west County Durham and West Yorkshire.

At one stage on Wednesday morning, some 50,000 homes and businesses were without electricity.

Northern Powergrid said they would make contact with customers who qualify for compensation over the loss of power.

Side wall of a house which collapsed in high winds in Scot Hay Road, in Alsagers Bank, Stoke-on-Trent

The collapse of a wall at a house which damaged cars in Stoke-on-Trent happened during high winds

A Northern Powergrid spokeswoman said that strong winds, heavy ice and snow brought down overhead power lines in the North East and across Yorkshire.

The wrong type of snow?

An overturned car in Anfield Plain, County Durham

Chris Fawkes, BBC Weather Centre

Snow can come in many guises from big chunky flakes to dry powder snow, the type of snow falling from the sky depends on how much moisture there is and crucially on the temperature of the atmosphere.

With plenty of moisture, and temperatures around freezing big sticky chunky flakes of snow form, these can then stick to power lines which increases the weight and surface area of the cables.

This combined with strong winds has the potential to bring power lines down. In contrast when the atmosphere is cold and the air relatively dry, fine powder snow can form.

In December 2009 a number of Eurostar trains broke down, this was partly blamed on fine powder snow getting into the train's electrics.

Different types of snow can have different effects and to some extent you can have "the wrong type of snow".

She said: "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask customers for their patience while repair and restoration work is carried out."

Western Power Distribution said fewer than 1,000 properties were still without electricity in north Derbyshire, down from 9,000 overnight.

Some 12,000 homes and businesses which lost power overnight in Whitby, North Yorkshire, have been reconnected.

The wintry weather also caused problems for motorists, with drivers warned to take care as up to 20cm (8in) of snow fell on high ground causing treacherous conditions.

Neil Fuller, from Durham Police, said: "It's fair to say there's been approximately a foot of snow falling overnight on the hills.

"We've had problems with snowfall on the carriageway and also snow blowing in from open fields across the road, making visibility poor, and that's why the A66 was closed overnight."

Durham Police said up to 40 vehicles were stranded on the A68 between Tow Law and Castleside, with reports of snow drifts of up to 7ft in places. The road has since reopened.

North Yorkshire Police said they had been called out to help a number of drivers left stranded in their cars after snow hit the Hole of Horcum area on the North Yorkshire Moors between Egton Bridge and Tan Hill.

In Cumbria, the A686 which was closed at Hartside, has now reopened, as has the B1248 in East Yorkshire, which had been closed between the A166 in Wetwang and the Little Wood Street junction in Norton.

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In Derbyshire, a section of the A57 Snake Pass, which links Sheffield and Manchester, reclosed on Wednesday between Sheffield and Glossop due to deteriorating weather conditions.

The A628, which runs through the Peak District between Sheffield and Manchester, has also reopened, as has the A53 which was closed both ways near Leek.

Both roads were affected by heavy snow drifts.

There were also delays on the East Coast Main Line north of Newcastle.

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