Lib Dem MP hits out at Commons speaker for failing to grant him right to call for national emergency response
Thousands of homes in the south-west of England were still without power or water on Monday in the aftermath of Storm Goretti.
It has been four days since Goretti brought gusts of almost 100mph and a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds, but the continued disruption has led one Cornish MP to call for a “national emergency”.
As of Monday afternoon, National Grid said about 1,250 properties remained without power, mostly around Helston, while South West Water (SWW) said about 3,000 homes were without water and Cornwall council said 31 schools in the region were either closed or opening late.
SWW said on its website on Sunday that the impact of Storm Goretti on its water network had been “devastating”, with the company adding that six major water mains in the Helston area had been “severely damaged” by uprooted trees and that this was continuing to affect water supply for customers.
