THOUSANDS of people were last night bracing themselves for the prospect of entering a third day without power, as the full extent of the storm force winds that battered the region emerged.

More than 150,000 properties across the North-East and Yorkshire were without electricity after 100mph winds and driving rain brought power lines crashing down.

Almost 10,000 homes were still in the dark last night as engineers fought to restore power.

The crisis elsewhere in the country worsened yesterday after it emerged that three people had died and two more were missing.

Cumbria Police said a 63-year-old man died when a barn blew down in an area towards the Scottish border and the bodies of two elderly women were found in their Carlisle homes.

Two men were missing in West Yorkshire and Scotland, after they were swept away in swollen rivers.

Bad weather hampered the police search in the River Aire, near Bradford, while this morning the search will resume for Andrew MacDonald, 42, who is thought to have been swept away in the River Findhorn, in Morayshire.

A motorcyclist was last night being treated in Darlington Memorial Hospital after he was hit by a falling tree at Oak Tree, near Middleton Hall, Middleton St George, near Darlington, on Saturday.

He was released by firefighters and taken to hospital, where he was being treated for serious head and chest injuries.

Last night, Northern Electric (NEDL) said it was deploying helicopters to isolated areas to identify the damage to power lines.

Its efforts could be helped by Northern Ireland Electricity, which revealed that it had been asked to send staff and equipment to the north of England.

Darlington, Crook, Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle, in County Durham, and Northallerton, Richmond and Leyburn areas, in North Yorkshire, as well as outlying villages were among the worst-affected.

Villagers in Croft, Middleton St George and Middleton One Row, near Darlington, were among those still without power last night. The nearby village of Neasham was reconnected yesterday afternoon.

The Northern Echo was contacted by several residents annoyed about what they said was a lack of adequate information from NEDL.

"Thankfully, there's good community spirit here and everyone is looking out for each other," said Brian Dobson, of Middleton St George.

Lawrie Stewart, landlord of The Fir Tree Inn, near Crook, said: "Nobody in the village could get hold of anybody to tell us what was happening and when we would get the electric back. All we could get were answering machines."

Winds of up to 65mph were again expected to hit the region today, but experts said they would not have the same force as those on Saturday.

At its worst, there were more than 60 flood warnings in force across the region, with three classed as severe.

The Environment Agency said parts of the region had 100mm of rainfall in 24 hours, more than half the annual average for the month.

The high winds and driving rain wreaked havoc during Friday night and into Saturday morning.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said it received almost 300 calls for emergency assistance in 12 hours. The Tyne and Wear service took 230 calls between 7am and noon.

The weather took a heavy toll on the region's transport network, with planes, trains and cars all affected.

Police closed the A1(M) in both directions between Darlington and Chester-le-Street, County Durham, for most of Saturday.

The Highways Agency said 25 lorries overturned on the A1(M), near Darlington, during the morning.

Train operator GNER cancelled services between Newcastle and York for four hours as high winds brought down power lines, and trees and debris covered the tracks.

Several flights out of Newcastle Airport had to be cancelled, while a service to Heathrow from Durham Tees Valley Airport was grounded.

Darlington was one of the worst- hit parts of the region.

In Coniscliffe Road, part of a tree crashed into the grounds of a home. Debris was strewn along Carmel Road North, where trees fell, fences were torn down and roadworks equipment demolished, while in Geneva Road, a tree narrowly missed parked cars.

An area at the corner of Crown Street and Tubwell Row remained taped off last night after large stones fell from a building.

In Stanhope, County Durham, an ancient lime tree was uprooted. Flooding also affected parts of Weardale and Teesdale.

The River Wear, at Stanhope, recorded its highest levels at 1.45am on Saturday, 3.7 metres above normal, and the A689 between Eastgate and Cowshill had to be closed because of flooding.

Two buses were stuck in Toronto, near Bishop Auckland, after pylons fell, blocking the road.

Fire crews were called to the Whorlton Grange nursing home, in Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, to pump 12ft of water from the cellar.

A takeaway shop in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, was hit by debris and roof tiles which smashed steel shutters while part of the Up North Combine Building, near the fire brigade headquarters, was considered too dangerous and officers cordoned off the area.

In North Yorkshire, firefighters rescued a canoeist trapped on an island on the River Ure at Sleningford Mill, near Ripon.

Properties in the Milby Island area of Boroughbridge suffered flooding while the River Ouse, in York, peaked early yesterday afternoon at 4.2 metres above normal.

Part of Newbottle Street, in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, was cordoned off yesterday after a chimney above the Partners hair salon was damaged.

The gales also caused damage in the grounds of Crook Hall, in Durham City.