High winds return as country faces fresh warning of gales to come this weekend

SCOTLAND was lashed with further gusts of up to 75mph last night, with more strong winds to come this weekend, forecasters warned.

The south and west of Scotland bore the brunt of the latest onslaught.

The Met Office said the winds would increase again on Saturday, reaching around 50mph on the north-east coast, such as the area around Fraserburgh, and up to 45mph on the west coast.

A spokesman said: “The weather in Scotland will remain changeable into next week.”

Insurers and car repair firms yesterday reported a deluge of calls about storm damage.

Co-operative Insurance said it had received more claims on Tuesday from across the UK than it would normally expect to get in the whole of January.

Lee Mooney, its head of home insurance, said: “Most of the claims we are seeing relate to damage to the home, with roof, shed and fence damage being most common.”

The firm urged people to protect their homes by clearing loose objects from gardens and removing loose or overhanging branches of trees.

Car repair company Autoglass said it had seen 700 per cent more claims for glass damage to vehicles in Scotland on Tuesday than normal. It drafted in 25 extra staff from elsewhere in the UK to deal with the workload, with a month’s worth of work being completed in Glasgow alone.

Managing director Matthew Mycock said: “Falling trees and flying debris caused havoc to motorists across the country. There was no escape for dozens of vehicles, whether they were on the move or parked.

“Our mobile crews in Scotland were rushed off their feet and are still dealing with the backlog.”

ALASTAIR DALTON