A clean-up operation is under way as the devastation left by Storm Éowyn is laid bare.

Wind gusts reached up to 96mph (154 km/h) in Northumberland, bringing down trees, ripping roofs, shutting roads and halting all train services in Cumbria.

Tens of thousands of homes spent Friday night without power and Electricity North West warned it could take until Sunday evening to reconnect affected properties.

There were also tales of the community pulling together, including a building firm repairing a fence at a Berwick animal rescue centre, and a group of Stockton hospital workers helping patients as they battled against the storm.

Disruption to train services is expected to continue on Saturday.

Most trains across Cumbria are scheduled to be off again, with both Avanti West Coast and Northern issuing “do not travel” advice on its lines in the county.

The region will be drier and brighter as the tail end of the storm passes, BBC Weather presenter Georgie Palmer said.

Workers at Berwick Animal Rescue Kennels said Premiers Building and Restoration company offered to repair a storm damaged wooden fence at the charity, without having to be asked.

“[It] made such a difference to us as not only are the premises nice and secure but the animals can get out for their walks safely and not be stressed by the banging of the fence,” manager Jan Ross said.

Scores of trees were felled across Northumberland, with arborists already out clearing the roads on Friday afternoon.

On Tyneside, there was no structural damage to the Redheugh Bridge after a HGV destroyed a long section of the pedestrian guard rail, Gateshead Council said.

The bridge, which crossed the River Tyne, was closed for most of Friday, with workers out to repair it when the winds died down.

Roads around the Sands Centre in Carlisle were due to reopen on Saturday morning, Cumberland Council said.

A temporary canopy, installed as part of the Raac replacement on the building’s auditorium roof, was ripped in the strong winds.

However, the building itself, paths adjacent to it and car parks would remain closed over the weekend, the authority added.

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said its control room received more than 40 emergency calls on Friday.

Workers across the region were praised for helping people, as they braved the wind themselves.

Four staff at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton helped patients and visitors make it safely into the building, where some entrances were closed, a spokesperson from the trust said.

Maintenance assistant Luke Ferguson, security team members Gary Pickard and Aaron Sparrow, and plumber Ste Loughran stepped away from their duties to make sure people were safe.