A COUNTY Durham MP quizzed the Prime Minister on the Government’s Storm Arwen response after residents were left without heating and electricity for over a week.

Mary Kelly Foy, Labour MP for City of Durham, said stricken residents throughout the region were “left without a Government that cares” after a week-long delay to send in the army for extra support. 

“Storm Arwen left thousands of people in Bearpark, Ludworth, Sherburn and Waterhouses, without heating or electricity, yet it took five days for a ministerial statement to be made and a week to send in the army,” she said. 

“My constituents weren’t just left without power, they were left without a government that cares. 

“Can the Prime Minister look me in the eye and honestly say he did everything he could, as soon as he could, to help the people of Durham?”

Read more: Power restored to 240,000 North East homes after Storm Arwen

But Mr Johnson responded to say the Government was on top of helping out those in need. 

He said: “I was in contact with local representatives of the local authorities, the army, Northern Powergrid, to see what more we could do assist them in restoring power.

“I sympathise very much with the families who lost power for an unconscionably long period. We must learn the lessons from storms Arwen and Barra and make sure nothing like that happens again. “

Power has now been reconnected in 240,000 homes across the North East following the disruption caused by Storm Arwen. 

Northern Powergrid announced the news on Tuesday evening while naming Arwen as “the worst storm in over 20 years”.

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