Blackouts continue amid fresh storms A similar accusation was levelled against Gatwick Airport earlier this week by passengers who found themselves stranded in the North Terminal due to a power cut on Christmas Eve. The Environment Agency said there would a respite from the severe weather over the weekend, but warned that strong wind and heavy rain would return next week, with a further risk of flooding. A spokesman said rainfall on Thursday night was less than expected, with about 10mm in most parts of the South East, but added that rivers were still rising due to rain earlier in the week. The Met Office said the latest storm would not cause as much chaos as earlier this week, but there was a further risk of flooding in already saturated areas. A spokesman said: "A swathe of severe gale force winds are likely to cross northern England during Friday which could cause disruption to transport and power suppliers. Gusts of 60-70mph are expected widely with potential for gusts of 80mph on the western coast and high ground within these areas. The winds are expected to ease slowly this evening. Tony Glover of the Energy Networks Association said there were 13,500 homes in England without power on Friday morning, along with 4,000 in Northern Ireland. UK Power Networks said there had been no major complications after last night's storm but more than 3,000 people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex were still without power. The firm said the continued blackouts were caused by damage to overhead lines from fallen trees. It said customers who were without power for 48 to 60 hours including Christmas Day would be offered compensation of £75 - higher than the industry standard of £27 - with extra payments for those cut off for longer periods. Frustrated residents took to Twitter to voice their complaints. Katharine Weaver said: "My parents in their 70s have been without power since the 23rd and can't get any information." There were 43 flood warnings in place across England and Wales on Friday morning, 20 of them in the south east, along with 121 less severe flood alerts. The Highways Agency was advising road users to be cautious as Britain was battered by gale force winds, with the highest recorded gusts reaching 87mph on the Welsh coast overnight. A man was rescued from a river swollen by flood water on Friday morning after being caught in the current of the River Great Ouse in Bedford at 9am. A crewman from the King Harry Ferry was rescued by RNLI workers from the river Fal in Cornwall after falling overboard on Boxing Day. He was found clinging to a buoy in torrential rain and gale force winds. Police and fire services across the country reported road closures because of uprooted trees while six flights were diverted from Dublin airport due to strong winds. The Prime Minister praised the work of the EA and emergency services this week, saying they were "doing an amazing job with the floods and extreme weather." On a visit to meet EA staff in Byfleet, environment minister George Eustice added: "The emergency services, Environment Agency and power providers are working around the clock to ensure the floodwater is cleared and power returned to people's homes and businesses. With the potential for more flooding tonight, I urge everyone to follow the safety advice from the police and emergency services and be as prepared as possible by signing up to environment agency flood alerts.