Thousands of Farm Animals Dead from Winter Weather

It is unclear how many animals are dead as most of the missing livestock are buried below thick blankets of snow. In some parts of counties Antrim and Down drifts have reached 20ft high.

The Ministry of Defence provided the helicopter after a request from Stormont's Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill.


A dead sheep amongst a flock of rescued sheep in the Glens of Antrim
Ms O'Neill said she will table the issue of providing special hardship payments for those affected in the power-sharing executive on Thursday.

The helicopter, carrying its first cargo of feed bales, set off on its relief mission after flying in from England this morning - beginning with some of the worst-hit areas in the Glens of Antrim.

A surveillance helicopter was also deployed in a bid to find missing livestock.


A tractor attempts to clear snow in the hills above the Glens in Antrim
Medication and basic food supplies like bread and milk have already been delivered by helicopter to people snowed in for days.

Ms O'Neill, who visited affected farmers in the Kilcoo area of Co Down, encouraged affected farmers to keep records of any livestock losses and additional expenditure incurred.

She said: "Having seen at first hand the impact of the extreme weather conditions in this area and in east Antrim, I sympathise with the farmers and rural communities affected and acknowledge the difficulties they face currently."


A tanker carrying gas supplies arrives at Milford Haven refinery in Wales
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers said: "The extreme weather conditions have had a devastating effect on Northern Ireland's farmers and it's absolutely vital that we provide any support we can."

More than 140,000 electricity customers who lost power when the wintry blast struck the eastern counties of the region last Thursday and Friday have had supply restored.

The Department for Regional Development said it had spent more than £80,000 trying to combat the adverse conditions, gritting around 4,350 miles of roads with 1,000 tonnes of salt.


Engineers fix a power line in Kintyre
A BT spokeswoman said the telecoms company had fixed close to 11,000 faults and damages since Friday but stressed that problems continued.

A police spokeswoman warned hill walkers that there was the risk of avalanches in the areas affected by the snow.

Meanwhile, the severe weather was blamed for the deaths of a number of birds, including puffins, razorbills and guillemots, which have washed up on Britain's beaches.

Hundreds of puffins washed up on the east coast, described as the worst puffin "wreck" in 50 years, and are likely to have died of starvation, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland.

The severe weather has also caused power cuts in Scotland.

Scottish and Southern Energy said two of its pylons were toppled by sheets of ice and snow over the weekend in the worst damage to the electricity network in 30 years.

Some 3,300 customers in Kintyre, Argyll, and on the Isle of Arran remained cut off overnight.


Power lines down in Arran off the west coast of Scotland
Meanwhile, the second of three tankers with gas supplies from Qatar has arrived in Wales - carrying 266,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas - as the unseasonal cold weather increases demand and the UK dips into its energy reserves.

Another is due to arrive on Friday, while a fourth which has already set sail from Trinidad is expected to reach the UK on Saturday.

The number of people without power has reduced substantially since Friday, when stormy conditions plunged 18,000 people into darkness on the west coast of Scotland.

About 400 engineers are continuing efforts to restore supplies, with a further 100 working in support offices and others on standby.


Weather forecast for Wednesday
ScottishPower says it has re-connected all of the affected properties in Galloway.

A ScottishPower spokesman said: "Our engineers have encountered some of the most difficult conditions they have ever faced attempting to restore supplies."

Emergency supplies and medical help have been delivered to communities by the Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter HMS Gannet, and the RNLI has taken milk and other essentials over to Arran by lifeboat.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for the public to be aware of snow showers that will continue to affect parts of central and eastern Scotland, eastern England and Northern Ireland.