A clear-up operation is under way as workers remove fallen trees and restore power lines Engineers are working to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses after storms battered Scotland.Scottish Hydro said about 15,000 customers were without electricity and Scottish Power had about 2,000 customers waiting to be reconnected.
The high winds eased on Tuesday but there was still some disruption on the road and rail networks.
A lorry driver was trapped in his vehicle after it overturned on Harris in the Western Isles, police said.
It happened on the A859 shortly after midday. Fire and rescue crews with cutting and heavy lifting equipment were at the scene.
The driver was flown by helicopter to Western Isles Hospital where his condition was understood to be serious but stable.
Soft fruit producers in Scotland said the storms had been a "catastrophe" for the industry, with hundreds of acres of the polythene covers used to protect plants destroyed.
The Scottish government said hundreds of workers worked through the night to keep the rail and road networks moving.
The power companies also drafted in extra engineers to restore power supplies.
Fallen trees caused disruption to travel as well as power supplies Paul Ferguson, a spokesman for Scottish Power, told BBC Scotland extra engineers had been drafted in.
He said: "We may see some customers, unfortunately, going without power into this evening due to the high number of faults we have to fix.
"But we can reassure customers that we will direct our resources where they are needed."
Most of the damage to power lines was caused by trees or branches falling after the winds reached speeds of 100mph.
For about half-an-hour on Monday evening, shops, offices and householders in Inverness had no electricity.
Ross Easton, a spokesman for Scottish Hydro Electric, said: "We are well versed in this type of event, storms are not new to us but the weather conditions were very severe.
"We have engineers out and we will try to reconnect customers as quickly as we can."
One man died on Monday when a tree fell and crushed his car in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.
Pupils and parents were among those caught up in the disruption caused by high winds during Monday's rush hour.
In Markinch in Fife a falling tree smashed the window of a school bus after it stopped to avoid another branch already blocking the road. No pupils were hurt but a passer-by who came to help suffered head injuries.
In Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, a tree came down as school buses and parents picked up pupils from Our Lady's High School.
A tree came down as parents collected children from a school in Motherwell Gary O'Rorke, who's car was struck as he collected his 13-year-old daughter, said: "There was an almighty crash. The force was incredible and the back of my car was squashed like an empty can of cola.
"We were very, very lucky, as were the family in car behind whose car was also smashed."
Some schools and nurseries across the country remained closed on Tuesday due to storm damage.
The Scottish government's resilience committee met again on Tuesday and was continuing to monitor the weather situation, as well as the progress of the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "Overnight we have seen a remarkable effort by workers across the transport and energy sectors to restore our transport networks and energy supplies.
"Efforts continue apace today by authorities to address any outstanding or persistent issues."
Some rail services remained cancelled or suspended on Tuesday.
A Scotrail spokesman said: "The Scottish rail network is experiencing disruption due to severe winds damaging overhead power lines and depositing debris on the tracks.
"It is expected that a number of routes will be restored throughout today."
Do you have pictures - still or moving - showing the impact of high winds? Send them to the BBC Scotland news website at newsonlinescotland@bbc.co.uk
Please ensure when filming or photographing an incident that you make your safety and the safety of others a priority.
If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment