:00:00. > :00:10.more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel. We're
:00:11. > :00:16.Good evening. Once again, galeforce winds and heavy rain have brought
:00:17. > :00:19.damage and disruption to our region. Cumbria's borne the brunt, with
:00:20. > :00:22.thousands of homes still without electricity tonight. One West
:00:23. > :00:25.Cumbrian family had a lucky escape after a neighbour's chimney pot came
:00:26. > :00:30.crashing through their front window, as Mark McAlindon reports.
:00:31. > :00:34.At the height of the gales, this roof was blown off one house on
:00:35. > :00:43.Barncroft Avenue in Seaton and into the house opposite, meaning a narrow
:00:44. > :00:50.escape for those inside. Everything just came through. It was like being
:00:51. > :00:54.in a washing machine. Two kids lying on the sofa and they were just
:00:55. > :00:59.carried upstairs to bed. What a Christmas! It's the third roof in
:01:00. > :01:02.the area to be blown off in just the last month. Elsewhere, 7,000
:01:03. > :01:09.Cumbrian homes were still without electricity as darkness started to
:01:10. > :01:13.fall. It is the middle of the afternoon and the weather is still
:01:14. > :01:18.absolutely horrendous. Many houses in this part of the county are still
:01:19. > :01:21.without power and the electricity company says it is too dangerous for
:01:22. > :01:24.engineers to try to stop climbing poles, fixing overhead lines.
:01:25. > :01:28.Driving too was hazardous, with speed restrictions on the M6 and
:01:29. > :01:31.minor roads close to impassable. In the North East, this Middlesbrough
:01:32. > :01:37.leisure centre roof was damaged and there were delays on the East Coast
:01:38. > :01:42.Main Line. I don't know how I'm going to get home! It can't be
:01:43. > :01:45.helped with the weather, so just get on with it and get home eventually!
:01:46. > :01:49.Clearly, for many, it's been a tough Christmas break.
:01:50. > :01:55.Meanwhile, firefighters say it could be up to two weeks before a fire at
:01:56. > :01:58.a Teesside factory is out. The fire, at UK Wood Recycling on the Wilton
:01:59. > :02:02.chemical complex near Redcar, started on Christmas Eve as a small
:02:03. > :02:05.hotspot in a stack of wood, but the high winds overnight escalated the
:02:06. > :02:11.blaze. Roads were closed this morning and people told to keep
:02:12. > :02:17.doors and windows closed. The difficulty we have is that the wind
:02:18. > :02:22.provides more oxygen for the fire so it fans the flames, so that makes it
:02:23. > :02:25.more difficult for us. The wind sometimes prevents us from directing
:02:26. > :02:29.the water where we want it as well, so it is difficult but we are
:02:30. > :02:31.managing OK up until now. The family of former Middlesbrough
:02:32. > :02:35.footballer Gary Parkinson say they've been humbled by the support
:02:36. > :02:39.they've received. Gary had a stroke which left him with locked`in
:02:40. > :02:42.syndrome in 2010. His family were given a standing ovation by the
:02:43. > :02:45.crowd at Middlesbrough's game yesterday.
:02:46. > :02:49.This was an emotional return to his hometown club. Three years after a
:02:50. > :02:52.major stroke left him fighting for his life, Gary's family said they'd
:02:53. > :03:00.been overwhelmed by the support they'd received. It was emotional
:03:01. > :03:05.for him. We told him not to cry too much because all the cameras would
:03:06. > :03:09.be on him. There was a bit of tears between everybody afterwards. At to
:03:10. > :03:12.have him back here is brilliant and the support we have come to know
:03:13. > :03:15.over the last three years has just been phenomenal. Gary played 250
:03:16. > :03:20.times for Middlesbrough during the '80s and '90s. After two years in
:03:21. > :03:23.hospital, he's now back at home. He's unable to move or speak but is
:03:24. > :03:30.fully aware of what's happening and communicates by moving his eyes. He
:03:31. > :03:34.is progressing a little every day, so as long as it is in the right
:03:35. > :03:39.direction, we remain positive and that is the way it has been since it
:03:40. > :03:42.happened. No looking backwards, just forwards, so that is good news.
:03:43. > :03:45.Well here's the goal, which gave Middlesbrough back`to`back wins for
:03:46. > :03:49.the first time in 2013. Manny Ledesma's effort was enough to beat
:03:50. > :03:51.Championship leaders Burnley at the Riverside.
:03:52. > :03:54.And there was festive cheer for Sunderland and Newcastle, too!
:03:55. > :03:57.No`one would've believed the final scoreline at St James's after 40
:03:58. > :04:01.minutes. But then, leading 1`0, Stoke had a man sent off and they
:04:02. > :04:04.were soon down to nine men. Thomas Sorensen produced another Tyneside
:04:05. > :04:08.penalty save but Loic Remy swiftly made amends for his miss. In the
:04:09. > :04:13.second half, another home goal from Yohan Gouffran. Moussa Sissoko set
:04:14. > :04:16.up Remy for his second and Cabaye made it 4`1 before Papiss Cisse's
:04:17. > :04:21.icing on the Christmas cake. Leaders Arsenal, beware! A red card for
:04:22. > :04:25.Everton keeper Tim Howard helped Sunderland to a first win at
:04:26. > :04:27.Goodison Park since 1996, Ki Sung Yeung with the goal.
:04:28. > :04:30.The Black Cats' hero, though, was their keeper Vito Mannone.
:04:31. > :04:34.Tomorrow's opponents, Cardiff, have sacked their manager.
:04:35. > :04:37.In League One, in front of nearly 8,000 fans and after a promising
:04:38. > :04:40.start, Carlisle slipped to a 1`0 home defeat by Preston.
:04:41. > :04:43.There was a battling point for Hartlepool at League Two leaders
:04:44. > :04:46.Chesterfield, despite having Andy Monkhouse sent off.
:04:47. > :04:51.And yet another draw for York City, also courtesy of a penalty, at
:04:52. > :04:54.relegation rivals Accrington. And the Berwick Rangers Supporters'
:04:55. > :04:57.Trust are paying for all fans to get free entry at tomorrow's home game
:04:58. > :05:01.with Peterhead. A Northumberland charity runner has
:05:02. > :05:06.given up an attempt to run 2,600 miles across Australia. Mark
:05:07. > :05:09.Allison, known as "Run Geordie Run", set off in October, but he's stopped
:05:10. > :05:14.on safety grounds, just 180 miles from the finish.
:05:15. > :05:20.To the weather with Hannah now. How much more of this storm are we in
:05:21. > :05:25.for? We start the forecast with a weather
:05:26. > :05:29.warning for strong winds across the region, and a warning from the Met
:05:30. > :05:32.Office in force until the end of the night, but through the early hours
:05:33. > :05:37.of the morning, the winds will ease, leaving nothing more than a
:05:38. > :05:40.fresh breeze early on Saturday. Wintry over the hills but for most
:05:41. > :05:44.places, much more sunshine and dry weather than we have had for the
:05:45. > :05:48.past couple of days. A fine Saturday for much of the North East and
:05:49. > :05:56.Cumbria, with temperatures as high as six or seven. Risk breezes
:05:57. > :05:59.continue but nowhere as near as strong as they have been. That is
:06:00. > :06:08.it. That is our news so far. We will
:06:09. > :06:14.Good evening. What a week it has been, a stormy start, a law through
:06:15. > :06:19.Christmas, then a wild end to the week, had to keep up, isn't it? This
:06:20. > :06:20.was a