A NURSING home near Dorchester has been without power for four days in the wake of Storm Eunice.

Grove Lodge, in Long Ash Lane, Frampton, has been without power since Friday (February 18), as winds of up to 90mph brought chaos with the railway network, trees torn down, vehicles blown off roads, roofs ripped off buildings, routes shut, and many homes left without power over the weekend.

In response SSEN (Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks) has launched an enhanced 1000-strong operations team to battle extremely difficult conditions to restore power to the remaining customers affected by Storm Eunice.

Grove Lodge manager Christina Grinrod said: "We were lucky in the respect we had a contingency plan in place, including camping stoves extra blankets, and quilts, so at no time did it compromise the care of the residents here - in fact they saw it as an adventure - hot food and drinks continued as normal and the menu didn't change.

"There were a few homes in the same position as ourselves but like us, I would imagine they also had contingency plans."

Ms Grinrod said the nursing home, which provides specialised dementia care, was provided a back-up generator yesterday (Sunday, February 20) afternoon.

She said: "We now have the generator for as long as needed.

"I will be speaking to our family members over the next few days.

"SSEN did all they could do under the extreme circumstances. We have been updated and kept in the loop and now have times today when full power will be restored, however, the generator we have powers the whole home so everything works as it normally would."

A spokesman from SSEN said: "The hurricane-force winds of Storm Eunice have resulted in some of the most extreme and challenging conditions experienced in the south of England for decades, with significant impact on our overhead line network.

"I would like to apologise to our customers for the continued disruption as our teams work around the clock to restore power.

"I’d also like to recognise our teams in the field and in our control and customer centres, who are doing a brilliant job in very difficult conditions and stand ready to respond to the impact of Storm Franklin, while prioritising restoring customers who have been without power longest.

"We fully appreciate the issues being faced by customers who have been without power since the start of Storm Eunice and as our teams work hard to reconnect the remaining homes, we are actively encouraging all customers who we expect to remain off supply for an extended period to take advantage of our enhanced welfare offer."