Christmas Day will be a spent without electricity for tens of thousands of Britons after a torrential rainfall flooded homes and hurricane-force winds battered the country, Reuters reported.
Britain's environment agency said on Wednesday that nearly 300 secondary-warnings and two severe flood alerts are in force largely across southern and central England.
According to the Energy Networks Association, which represents wire and pipe companies, around 50,000 homes are likely to remain without power throughout Christmas Day.
"It's likely that some people will still be off on Boxing Day (Thursday)," said spokesman Tim Field.
High winds and heavy rain sweeping across the south of the country also put the power off for tens of thousands of people in France, Reuters reported.
Both Britain and France were hit with winds of up to 90 mph on December 23 and Christmas Eve, with downpours forcing cancellations of rail, flight and ferry services at a peak travel time.
According to Reuters, five people - including a man who tried to rescue his dog from a river - have died in Britain over the last three days in accidents linked to the high winds and heavy rainfall.
Over 100 people were evacuated in the early hours of Wednesday by police in Dorset, southwest England, in two separate locations due to fears of flooding from a nearby river.
There were more power cuts at London's second airport Gatwick on Christmas Day as stranded travelers tried to catch flights, Reuters reported. Power failures led to angry scenes between passengers and staff on Tuesday.
"Due to adverse weather in the last 48 hours there are still power outages in parts of our North Terminal, these are causing delays to departing flights," said a message on the airport's website.
Power company UK Power Networks offered to pay for Christmas dinners in local pubs or restaurants for people whose supplies remain cut off, Reuters reported.
