Following huge power cuts across Yorkshire, Cumbria and the North East this weekend, power supplier Electricity North West is deploying vans with free hot food and drink to affected customers in some regions today.
The utility company has sent out vans with hot food and drink across Cumbria from 9am, reaching locations in Coniston, Alston and Ambleside - however, hundreds of homes in West Yorkshire still remain without power and will not see repairs until later today.
Postcodes still affected include properties in Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield, reports the BBC.
Electricity North West has put out a call to businesses within the South Cumbria and Peak region of the North West to help with supplying hot food and drinks to local communities affected by Storm Arwen.
Anyone who thinks they might be able to help is being encouraged to contact the company's customer welfare team via email.
Customers were quick to reply, with some applauding the company for its efforts to help local communities whilst others took to the comment section to complain - with some stressing that they were now facing their third day without power, amidst freezing temperatures.
One follower said, "well done , hoping you get extra resources shipped in to help you".
Another said, "What about those without power still in Buxton SK17??? Its been 55 hours now!!!!"
A third added, "What about BB10 4RR just would appreciate an update, no power since Friday night".
A fourth simply said, "3 days without power".
Storm Arwen has left thousands of people without power in the UK, leaving many without heating or electricity since Friday.
High winds and heavy snowfall brought by the storm did serious damage to the region's power network, leaving almost a quarter of a million people without power at some points over the weekend.
The storm cut off power to 240,000 homes in the north of England alone, as the country was battered with sleet, snow and gale-force winds over the weekend.
Electricity North West described the network damage caused by storm Arwen as "devastating" with 83,000 of its properties left without power at one point.
As of Sunday evening, 72,000 customers on the network had seen their power restored.
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Aldi has announced a ‘special’ 62-hour closure of all its 1,000+ stores across UK
Aldi has confirmed it'll be closing the doors of all of its stores across the UK for 62 hours this year.
Christmas is always known to be one of the busiest periods of the year for the retail industry, and Boxing Day has a reputation for being the ultimate day for shopping deals and discounts in the UK - but this year, just like it has done on several years in the past, Aldi has made the decision to close all of its stores nationwide on this bank holiday.
The supermarket retailer says it wants to thank its colleagues 'for all their hard work' throughout the year by giving them some extra time to spend with their families.
This means that all Aldi stores will be closed on both 25 and 26 December.
That's not all though, as stores will also be closed on New Year’s Day, and will reopen once again on Saturday 2 January 2027.
Aldi has announced a 'special' 62-hour closure of all its UK stores / Credit: Aldi UK
Opening hours at different Aldi stores across the UK will vary in the lead-up to Christmas, so it's important to check the times for your local store, but the retailer has confirmed that most branches will be operating extended hours to 'ensure customers can stock up ahead of the big day'
In the interim period between Christmas and New Year, stores will reopen as usual on Sunday 27 through to Wednesday 30 December, with reduced hours also likely on Sunday and New Year's Eve.
Speaking on the decision to shut up shop for a full 62-hour period this festive season, Rachel Geary, who is the Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: "Christmas is a special time for our customers, but it is also one of the busiest periods of the year for our teams.
"Our colleagues work incredibly hard to ensure customers can pick up everything they need ahead of the big day.
"We never take that effort for granted. Closing our stores on Boxing Day is one way of saying thank you and giving colleagues a proper chance to rest, switch off and spend more time with the people closest to them."
Featured Image - Aldi UK
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Popular TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Think it's too early for 'C word'? Never mind, you've already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn't exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner - but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right - Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there's arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that's charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it's now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films - including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Viewers will find GREAT! Christmas on Freeview channel 51, Sky 319, Sky (Glass/Stream) 317, Virgin channel 424, and Freely channel 47.
Georgina Pellant -
29th November 2021 
