EBN- About 16,000 homes were entering Thursday without power, Scottish authorities said, after Storm Gerrit wreaked havoc. Scotland’s rail network has also experienced widespread cancellations and delays.
Parts of Scotland have had significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.
High winds, along with heavy rain and snow, damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines. SSEN said power had been restored to 25,000 properties. “Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours.”
Reported on social media were trees blocking the A9 at Berriedale that led to a tailback but have since been removed. One driver commented on “really bad flooding after Dunbeath at Janetstown before Latheron. Take it easy!”.
There are also very long tailbacks on the A9 due to severe snow conditions at Drumochter. The A9 Dornoch Bridge was closed to High Sided Vehicles due to high winds affecting driving conditions.
A yellow warning for wind and snow remained in place until 6am on Thursday in the Shetlands.
ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, while other lines saw their timetables shelved.
In one incident a train driver’s cabin was hit by a falling tree. Aslef Scotland confirmed the driver was uninjured and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said passengers were also unharmed.
