More than 40k STILL without power after Storm Eunice as they face days in the dark while huge clean-up effort continues

MORE than 40,500 Brits are STILL without power today - with thousands facing days in the dark after killer storm Eunice blasted the country with 122mph gales.

There are fears some Brits could face disruption until next WEEK as forecasters warn of severe winds throughout the weekend.

In an update yesterday evening, the Energy Networks Association said around 40,500 customers are still without power - while 95 per cent of homes have been reconnected.

Around 27,500 customers are still in the dark in the South East of England, with 13,000 affected in Eastern England.

And some outages could last another 48 hours and potentially longer into next week in rural areas across the UK.

It comes as the mercury plunges and warnings for wind and rain are issued.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has warned "there will be more disruption to come". 

Helicopters and generators have been deployed to help people cope, he said.

Properties in Essex were particularly hard-hit, with 6,700 homes left without power on Saturday evening.

But the big clean-up efforts could be hampered as yellow wind and rain warnings are now in place across the country.

The Met Office has warned it means infrastructure recovery works could be hampered - leading to prolonged power cuts.

It comes as:

• Four people were killed in the terrifying tempest
• Footage shows the moment pedestrians are blown off their feet in Croydon
• An emergency COBRA meeting took place as the killer tempest lashed the country
• Schools were shut and Brits were urged to work from home as the storm blew in
• A lorry driver escaped without injury after his HGV overturned in Oxfordshire, narrowly missing a van

Eight inches of snow, freezing ice and 80mph gales will follow in the squall's wake.

Temperatures plummeted to -1C on Friday night in some areas.

A new yellow warning for rain and wind is in place across the vast majority of Scotland and down into England.

Southern parts of the country will still be battered by strong 70mph winds on Sunday into Monday.

The warning also covers south Wales, swathes of the West Country and the entire south coast.

A rain alert is in place between Carlisle and Bakewell in Derbyshire.

And on Monday, another yellow alert for wind will be enforced in England and the north-west.

🔵 Read our weather forecast live blog for the latest updates

Britain will finally be free of weather misery at 3pm that day.

Travel chaos will also continue, and National Rail has warned of ongoing disruption.

Thousands of trains were cancelled on Friday, with rail bosses issuing a blanket "do not travel" warning.

All services in and out of London Euston were halted. Every service in Wales was also cancelled, while Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways suspended their lines.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates that more than 400 flights were cancelled - just as the half-term break begins.

Tragically, three Brits and an Irishman are known to have been killed during the storm.

A woman in her 30s, who was a passenger in a car, died in Haringey, London when a tree fell onto the vehicle.

A man in his 30s, who was behind the wheel, was taken to hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

TEMPEST TRAGEDY

In Hampshire, a man in his 20s was killed and a second man seriously injured when a 10-foot tree fell in market town Alton - and was named as Jack Bristow.

A man in his 50s died when debris smashed through the windscreen of a car in Merseyside.

And a man in his 60s died in Co Wexford when he was crushed by a tree as he cleared debris - named as  Billy Kinsella.

Elsewhere, three people were taken to hospital - one with serious injuries - after a tree fell on a car in Wiltshire, while two others were hurt in a balcony collapse in London.

Friday's gales are believed to be the highest ever recorded in England, according to the Met Office.

The worst-hit region - the Isle of Wight - recorded wind gusts of 122mph.

Gusts there were even stronger than during the Great Storm of 1987 when 18 people were killed.

London was covered by a red 'danger to life' weather alert for the first time ever.

In Croydon, astonishing footage shows pedestrians being knocked off their feet.

Part of the roof at the O2 was also torn away, with staff warning the venue could be shut for months.

London Fire Brigade has declared a major incident after a surge of 999 calls - with 550 recorded between 10.30am and 1pm, more than the average number usually taken over 24 hours.