1,500 Cumbrian homes still without power following heavy snowfall
Electricity has been restored to around 5,000 since the weekend
Around 1,500 people are still without power in parts of Cumbria after heavy snowfall in the northwest of England.
Police declared a major incident on Saturday evening, with about 200 vehicles stuck in the snow.
Electricity North West (ENWL) said its network had been "severely impacted" by 20 instances of damage due to the snow.
Power to nearly 5,000 customers had been restored - but just over 1,500 remained without a supply.
ENWL said it was making hot food available at Greenodd Service Station in Ulverston on Monday morning for customers who remained without power.
The electricity network operator said it had restored power to 7,500 homes, adding that "access continues to be a major issue and even specialist 4x4 vehicles cannot reach all sites" with "equipment for repairs being carried on foot in some locations".
It added that Cumbria's power network had been severely impacted by the snow with more than 35 separate damages to the network reported, including "severe damage to miles of overhead lines".
Cumberland Council said nearly 35 schools would remain closed on Monday due to the conditions.
The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions, the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, until December 5, meaning "cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time".
England and Wales was expected to be largely cloudy outside the warning areas on Monday with outbreaks of rain, some of them turning heavy.
Overnight snow was predicted to be confined largely to the north east and on hills with frost and ice in the north and north west.
The Met Office said rain and hill snow will gradually ease across England and Wales on Tuesday with brighter spells developing. It will be sunnier but cold elsewhere with a few wintry showers in the north east. Lighter winds for most.
After frost and fog clears for bright spells on Wednesday, wet and windy weather is expected to arrive from the south west, pushing north and east into Thursday and Friday, with some initial hill snow.