Thousands without power after storms

The region's preparing for more bad weather today with gale force winds forecast for this afternoon and snow on higher ground.

Over the last few days, tens of thousands of homes lost power because of the bad weather.

Engineers have been working around the clock and most are now back to normal.

An animal sanctuary in West Auckland is appealing for help to repair damage caused by last night's storms.

Strong winds, up to 70mph, battered the region, tearing down electricity pylons and trees.

All the animals at Kays Hill animal sanctuary are safe but the site bore the full brunt of the weather.

More than 2,000 homes were without power this morning after strong winds battered the region last night.

Gusts of up to 70mph tore across the country, knocking down pylons and trees.

Northern Powergrid said engineers will be working through the day to restore power.

Strong winds in Houghton-le-Spring last night knocked an electricity pylon down.

Northern Powergrid teams took this dramatic photo this morning as they started to repair the network.