The fierce Atlantic storm brought record winds of up to 196kph to Britain, killing three people and causing widespread disruption. At least six more deaths were reported in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Britain’s Energy Networks Association said that as of 7.30am its members had reconnected 1.2 million customers but about 226,000 remained without power, mostly across southern England but also in the east of the country and in South Wales.

“That number is coming down all the time and engineers are working round the clock to reconnect people,” the industry body’s director of communications, Ross Easton, told the BBC.

Nearly 1 million homes lost power in November when a storm hit northeast England and eastern Scotland.

While power was restored to the vast majority of homes within 48 hours, more than 3,000 households did not regain access to mains power for a week or more, prompting the government to order a review of utility firms’ preparedness.