Travel disruption continues and 14,000 homes without power after Storm Gerrit

Thousands of homes remain without power and motorists and rail passengers face continued disruption after Storm Gerrit battered the country.

Engineers are working to restore power to around 14,000 customers, though Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution warned some could be without supply into Friday.

High winds, heavy rain and snow damaged electricity networks in some parts of the country while a Met Office yellow weather warning was in force across much of Scotland throughout Wednesday.

SSEN said its workers have faced wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.

The weather conditions also disrupted travel, with some drivers trapped for hours on the A9 which was closed at Drumtocher in the Highlands due to snow.

The A9 has since reopened apart from a section further north at Scrabster, however some roads around the country remain shut on Thursday morning, including the A82 between Invergarry and Fort Augustus in the Highlands and the A96 at Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

On the railways, many routes remain closed and will not reopen until safety checks have been carried out.

Network Rail Scotland said the routes affected are the Far North and Kyle Line, Aberdeen to Dundee, Edinburgh to Cupar, Aberdeen to Inverness, Balloch to Bowling and Largs to Fairlie routes, as well as the Highland Mainline and West Highland Lines.

The company said: “Once a line has been fully checked and is confirmed safe to reopen, we will do this right away, allowing services to resume as quickly as possible.”

SSEN said that as of 7.45am on Thursday, supplies had been restored to just over 31,500 homes, while about 14,000 remained without power

It apologised to customers who saw their supplies disrupted and said engineers are working to reconnect them as soon as possible.

While a “localised tornado” has caused significant damage to properties in Greater Manchester as Storm Gerrit swept the country, with thousands of homes remaining without power and travellers likely to face continued disruption.

“Numerous reports” were made to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at around 11.45pm on Wednesday, and the force declared a major incident due to the “severity” of the damage caused and the potential risk to public safety.

No injuries were reported but many residents were forced to leave their homes.

Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter from GMP said: “This incident has undoubtedly affected numerous people in the Stalybridge area with many residents displaced from their properties during the night.

“Our highest priority is keeping people safe which is why we are advising those who have been displaced not to return or enter their properties which have significant damage until they have been assessed by structural engineers.

“I would also like to urge members of the public to avoid the area where possible and take extra care when travelling in vehicles on the roads in Stalybridge and the surrounding areas, due to debris in the road.”

The Met Office says the fastest recorded wind gusts so far are 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales.

Published: 28/12/2023 by Radio NewsHub