Weather: Thousands Still Without Power

Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place across the UK as more showers are likely to delay further the clean-up operation at flood-hit homes this weekend.

UK Power Networks has said it will compensate those affected by long-term cuts "as a gesture of goodwill".

It promised that those without power for 48-60 hours over Christmas would get £75 back, instead of the industry standard £27.

But the misery is not over for many yet, as more than 130 flood alerts are in place across central and southern England - with 34 in areas urging residents to take immediate action.

Weather forecasters say showers will mainly affect western and southern England, Wales and parts of Scotland before a light storm moves in tomorrow.

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Efforts to deal with the chaos caused by the first storm on Monday were hampered by the arrival of a second storm on Boxing Day night.

Yesterday, power companies were condemned for failing to restore supplies to thousands of people - some who had been without electricity since Christmas Eve.

David Cameron was confronted by angry flood victims in Yalding, Kent

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said that 13,000 homes were still without power across the south of England and Wales.

More than 3,000 people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex have been without power since the Christmas Eve storm, according to UK Power Networks.

Meanwhile, about 5,000 customers in Northern Ireland were without electricity after severe gales overnight on Thursday.

And around 35,000 homes were last night without power across the Republic of Ireland after being battered by Thursday night's storm.

In the south east of England, Prime Minister David Cameron was confronted by an angry flood victim as he visited one of the villages seriously affected.

There continues to be disruption to rail services

The unnamed woman said her local council had done nothing to help those who live in Yalding, Kent, where homes had been inundated.

In a heated on-camera exchange with the PM, the woman said: "We still have no electric. We need electric.

"As I say the council, from Monday we have been trying to contact them, but they have all decided to go on their holidays. Nothing."

Mr Cameron appeared rattled as he tried to defuse the confrontation by promising to contact the council himself.

The network operator's promise to have everyone affected by the Christmas Eve storm back with power by the weekend did little to quell the anger of customers.

A tree rests on a power line in East Peckham, Maidstone, Kent

Stephanie Chapman, 54, from Yalding, said she wished she had been given more warning about the floods.

ENA spokesman Tony Glover apologised to those affected by the storms, but highlighted the difficulties technicians had been facing.

He said: "The problem was that not only did we have a storm followed by torrential rain, but huge amounts of flooding afterwards.

"That impacted on our ability to get to the affected areas, and to get materials that we need."

ScottishPower said it had now reconnected 14,500 customers who lost power during Thursday night's storm.

Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations at Network Rail, said this week "has been one of the most challenging periods we have faced in recent times".

The Environment Agency has issued 130 flood alerts

Thursday night's storms meant that several trains were delayed yesterday morning so lines could be examined in daylight before trains set off.

The line from London to Portsmouth via Haslemere is blocked by four landslips near Liphook, and will stay closed over the weekend.

The track at Ockley between Horsham and Dorking is also closed following a serious landslip.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) warned people about going outside in the gales.

A spokeswoman said the service had taken half a dozen calls in Lancashire alone about people being blown over by the wind, though only minor injuries were reported.

Many homes have been severely damaged by the floods

NWAS said that, as a precaution, people should stay indoors, out of the windy weather.

Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Amber Rudd, criticised Southeastern trains for failing to provide a replacement bus service for her constituents in the commuter belt towns.

While Southern Rail was offering workers the option of commuting to London via bus and even using Twitter to post regular updates, Southeastern services, including their communications, had been "lamentable", she said.

"So Southern have really done very well," said Ms Rudd. "I think it's partly because they've got Gatwick Airport on their tail wanting a better service.

"But Southeastern has not been anywhere near as good, and I have received a lot of complaints about them. They have been just too complacent".

The RAC has reported a 20% increase in breakdowns across the country, rising to a 40% increase in the south and South East between Christmas Eve and yesterday.

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Sandy Hook Shooting Documents Released

A police report into the Sandy Hook school massacre has revealed harrowing new details about the murders and the gunman's family life.

The paperwork, much of which is blacked out, includes several videos and hundreds of photographs from inside Sandy Hook Elementary and Adam Lanza's home.

It reveals how police officers were faced with terrible scenes inside the school and describes how many of the children were killed in a bathroom where they were hiding.

Lanza shot and killed his mother at their home before driving to the Newtown school, where he killed 20 children and six teachers.

A rifle magazine clip is seen on the floor in the hallway

The 20-year-old then committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a handgun as police arrived at the scene.

Included in the files were photographs showing bullet holes in walls, windows and classroom furniture.

Images of spent magazine clips and empty shell casings on the floor depict the gunman's path of destruction.

The report also included many photographs of the contents of the gunman's family house - including one of a young child holding what appears to be a gun, with ammunition in his lap.

In a letter accompanying the report, Reuben Bradford, commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, praised the efforts of all those connected to the horrific shooting.

He wrote: "In the midst of the darkness of that day, we also saw remarkable heroism and glimpses of grace. We saw Sandy Hook Elementary School faculty and staff doing everything in their power to protect their charges.

A gun seen just inside one of the classrooms

"The investigation of this incident is unparalleled in the 110-year history of the Connecticut State Police."

The documents revealed that a former teacher of Lanza's was quoted as telling investigators that Lanza exhibited anti-social behaviour, rarely interacted with other students and obsessed in writings "about battles, destruction and war".

"In all my years of experience, I have known (redacted) grade boys to talk about things like this, but Adam's level of violence was disturbing," the teacher told investigators.

The teacher added: "Adam's creative writing was so graphic that it could not be shared."

The documents also filled in more details about how the shooting unfolded, teachers protected their students and the school janitor confronted the shooter.

Teachers heard janitor Rick Thorn try to get Lanza to leave the school.

One teacher, who was hiding in a closet in the maths lab, heard Mr Thorn yell: "Put the gun down!"

An aide said she heard gunfire and Mr Thorn told her to close her door.

The documents' release marks the end of the investigation into the massacre on December 14, 2012, 

Prosecutors issued a summary of the investigation last month that portrayed Lanza as obsessed with mass murders.

Lanza kept a clipping about the 2008 Northern Illinois University shooting

But the report concluded that Lanza's motives for the massacre might never be known.

Lanza "was undoubtedly afflicted with mental health problems; yet despite a fascination with mass shootings and firearms, he displayed no aggressive or threatening tendencies," it said.

Lanza was diagnosed in 2006 with "profound autism spectrum disorder, with rigidity, isolation and a lack of comprehension of ordinary social interaction and communications".

He also displaying symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Kathleen Koenig, a nurse at the Yale Child Studies Center, told investigators that Lanza frequently washed his hands and changed his socks 20 times a day, to the point where his mother did three loads of laundry a day.

The nurse, who met with Lanza in 2006 and 2007, said Lanza's mother declined to give him prescribed antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication after she reported that he had trouble raising his arm, something she attributed to the drug.

Koenig unsuccessfully tried to convince Nancy Lanza that the medicine was not responsible, and the mother failed to schedule a follow-up visit after her son missed an appointment, police said.

In the documents, a friend told police that Nancy Lanza reported that her son had hit his head several days before the shootings.

And an ex-boyfriend told police that she cancelled a trip to London on the week of the shooting because of "a couple last-minute problems on the home front".

She told a friend two weeks before the shootings that her son was growing "increasingly despondent" and had refused to leave his room for three months.

They only communicated by email, with the mother saying he told her he wouldn't feel bad if something happened to her.

His isolation was so complete that he refused to leave his room during Superstorm Sandy, the report said.

Just before the shooting, Nancy Lanza was in New Hampshire. She told a lunch acquaintance there that the trip was an experiment in leaving her son home alone in Connecticut for a few days.

Photographs from inside the Lanza home show numerous rounds of ammunition, gun magazines, shot-up paper targets, large knives and swords.

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Andrew Wyatt: Body Found In New Zealand

Rescue crews in New Zealand searching for a British hiker who went missing two weeks ago have found a body under a cliff.

They said the body had not been formally identified as that of Andrew Wyatt but it was discovered at the foot of a 100-metre (330ft) precipice that was on the 41-year-old's intended route.

Mr Wyatt, from Cornwall, was last seen on December 15 in the Nelson Lakes National Park embarking on what was supposed to be a one-day hike to pick up supplies.

Poor weather stopped searchers from reaching the remote area until Friday, when an air force helicopter dropped in four specialised alpine rescue crews who made the grim find.

Nelson Search and Rescue (NSAR) said the section between where Mr Wyatt was last seen and where he was heading was "one of the more remote and difficult parts" of the trail.

NSAR coordinator Sherp Tucker said: "It's rugged, it's remote and the weather can change so much.

"It's a frequent place for the rescue helicopter to go to beacon activations for people who are hurt."

Mr Wyatt arrived in New Zealand in November and was walking the 3,000-kilometre (1,900-mile) Te Araroa Trail, which runs along the entire length of the country, when he went missing. 

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Weather: Ireland And UK Battered By Storms

Storms with 100mph winds battered Britain and Ireland last night, causing flights to be diverted and downing trees - as more flood warnings were issued.

Days after heavy rain and gales lashed the UK, disrupting the Christmas travel plans of thousands of people, the Met Office has once again issued severe weather warnings.

The Environment Agency map showing flood warnings and alerts in the UK

Southeastern trains said it would not be running any services until further notice, while Virgin, East Coast and Southern trains also warned of travel disruption.

Flights were also diverted and cancelled overnight, with Dublin Airport not allowing aircraft to leave due to the gale force winds.

A tweet from the airport said: "No flight departures so far this morning due to gale force winds blowing across both runways."

Cheshire Police said many trees had been uprooted as gales swept across the county.

"Many trees down due to strong winds. We would ask all drivers to exercise extreme caution whilst driving tonight," the force tweeted.

The Bognor Regis rail route was closed after this landslip at Ockley

The storm is forecast to spread east across the UK during the morning, with the worst-affected areas expected to be northern England and northern parts of Wales.

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This landslip also blocked the line on the Brighton Main Line near Redhill

Police and fire services across the country have reported road closures because of uprooted trees, and in the Irish Republic, Dublin Airport had to divert six planes because of strong winds.

Gatwick Airport said it had "additional teams of engineers, electrical staff and volunteers at the airport to minimise the risk of disruption".

The Environment Agency (EA) is warning of more "significant disruption" across southern England.

A spokesperson for the agency said: "It is possible that heavy rain may worsen the current flooding situation in some areas with rivers responding quickly to rain falling on already saturated ground."

The rain will exacerbate ongoing river flooding across the Somerset Levels, River Severn, River Thames and River Ouse in Cambridgeshire and rivers across Essex.

It will also worsen the situation along the River Medway and the Kentish Stour around Ashford and Canterbury.

A man removes items from his home after flooding in Tonbridge

There are 52 flood warnings and 160 flood alerts in place, but the EA said the number of alerts may increase as rivers respond to the further band of rainfall.

The Met Office recorded a gust of wind in Aberdaron, in west Wales, of 109mph early this morning.

General wind speeds of between 60mph and 80mph are expected in the UK.

A man paddles his canoe past a flooded property in Yalding

More than 43,000 people were left without power following Monday night's storm and around 1,200 properties were flooded in England.

According to ESB Networks, in Ireland, some 70,000 homes and businesses are understood to be without power with engineers dealing with hundreds of individual faults.

AA Roadwatch described driving conditions on Ireland's country roads as "treacherous" - and advised motorists to drive with extreme care.

Northern Ireland Electricity also said it had around 4,000 customers without power.

Network Rail advises that routes will need to be checked at first light and tracks will need to be cleared of any fallen trees and any damage will need repaired before train services can start.

Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations at Network Rail, said: "Passengers have had a tough week of travelling and unfortunately that is likely to continue for at least another day.

"Thousands of railway workers have worked tirelessly over the holiday period to try and repair the significant damage caused by Monday's storm and will be called on again over the next 24 hours.

"As ever, safety comes first, as we ensure routes are safe for passenger services leading to a delayed start-up in some regions."

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UK Set For More Flooding And Travel Chaos

The Environment Agency has warned of more weather chaos over the next few days - and says flooding may get worse in some areas.

Thousands of people spent Christmas Day without power and many were evacuated due to flooding.

With stormy weather expected to continue through the week, the Environment Agency (EA) said the Christmas misery might get worse.

Rolt family, from Crawley, have a candlelit McDonald's meal for Christmas

It said there could be "significant disruption" across southern England, and "heavy showers may worsen the current flooding situation in some areas".

A spokesman added: "Ongoing river flooding across the Somerset Levels, River Severn, River Thames and River Ouse in Cambridgeshire and rivers across Essex is expected over the next few days."

More than 1,000 homes have so far been flooded in England, and thousands of properties are still without power.

Experts have warned that electricity may not be fully restored in some houses until the end of the week.

Nick Rolt, from Crawley, tweeted a picture of his family sitting down to a candlelit McDonald's meal on Christmas Eve when their power went off.

The Environment Agency's map shows flood warnings across England and Wales

The EA has two severe flood warnings in place in the South West - the highest level of alert, which means there is a danger to life. They are at Beaulieu Garden Park Home Site and Iford Bridge Home Park.

There are 93 flood warnings and 185 flood alerts across England and Wales.

Firefighters broke their strike in parts of England because of the storms.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union in Surrey and Kent were recalled to duty under the terms of an agreement between the union, the employers and the Government.

In the early hours of Christmas Day, around 90 people were evacuated from their homes on the River Stour near Bournemouth.

People were also evacuated from the Beaulieu Garden Park Home in Christchurch, Dorset.

The Coastguard joined Kent Fire and Rescue Service to rescue people from the Little Venice Caravan and Marina Park in Yalding after rising waters from the River Medway cut them off.

There was chaos at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex after a power cut at the North Terminal led to cancellations and delays, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

Airport bosses face a possible investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over the chaos - which came two months after flights were hit by another storm.

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Bargain Hunters Flock To Boxing Day Sales

Bargain hunters are set to flock to the high streets in their thousands today as shops open for the Boxing Day sales.

Shoppers have already started queuing to ensure they are first in line when the shops open.

Harrods is kicking off its winter sale with the promise of mugs of hot chocolate, smoked salmon canapes and blankets to keep people warm in the queue.

They will also be serenaded by a string quartet and be treated to a performance by a street magician.

Some online sales started on Christmas Eve and millions of consumers are believed to have already snapped up goods from home.

Some 117 million visits to retail websites were estimated to have been made on Wednesday in the UK, with Boxing Day's figure set to rise to over 118 million.

Shopping habits are changing, according to analysts

Robert Goodman, Bluewater's general manager, said: "We are ready for a bumper Boxing Day this year.

"With the strongest retail offer to date, and with 50 new brands launching with us this year, we are expecting visitor numbers to be on a par with Boxing Day last year.

"This will begin what is likely to be our busiest six days of the year."

James Murray, digital insight manager at Experian, said: "Christmas 2013 has consistently outperformed 2012 on virtually every single shopping day this December, with online visits from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day up from last year, a record-breaking Cyber Monday and the emergence of the even busier Middle Cyber Monday.

"Shopping habits are changing, with Christmas Day becoming a significant shopping day during the period.

"As a result, we anticipate a more sustained shopping pattern during this period, moving away from the traditional peaks and troughs usually evident during holiday season."

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Queen's Speech: Monarch Reflects On 2013

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Queen will reflect on key events of the past 12 months in her traditional Christmas broadcast, including the birth of her great-grandson Prince George and the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

In her message, recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace, the 87-year-old monarch will say: "We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection.

"With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock." 

The head of the Commonwealth will also use the theme of "reflection" to look ahead to the Commonwealth Games being staged in Glasgow next year.

It is expected to be a full house at Sandringham this year with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joining the family for the festivities, including the traditional Christmas Day church service.

It will be their son Prince George's first Christmas at the Norfolk estate.

The Monarch will reflect on the birth of her great-grandson, Prince George

The Queen will refer in her message to her growing family by saying the arrival of a baby "gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope".

During the broadcast, behind-the-scenes footage will be shown for the first time of the photoshoot at Clarence House in October, shortly after the Christening of Prince George at the Chapel Royal.

One photograph taken was that of the Queen with the next three generations of monarchs including Princes Charles, William and George.

As the Queen speaks to the British people, and those of the Commonwealth, the historic photograph takes pride of place next to her at the Palace alongside a framed image of her father George VI and mother, the Queen Mother.

The Christmas address is written by the Queen and is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice but is able to voice her own views.

It was this year recorded in Buckingham Palace's Blue Drawing Room which features a large Christmas tree decorated with coloured baubles.

During her message, the Queen is seated wearing a single crepe-wool primrose dress designed by Angela Kelly, which she wore to William and Kate's wedding in April 2011.

On her left shoulder is a diamond, ruby and sapphire brooch, a present from her parents to celebrate the birth of Charles in 1948, which she wore at George's Christening.

The message will be broadcast on Sky News at 3pm.

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