Power cuts Scotland: 100,000 homes hit by power loss as 'horrendous' Storm Éowyn conditions take hold

Power cuts are now affecting 100,000 homes in Scotland, with reports of further outages being logged across the country as the “horrendous” conditions created by Storm Éowyn take hold.

A red danger to life warning for wind has been extended in Scotland, with people having been urged to stay indoors.

Workers remove a fallen tree on Regent Road, Edinburgh, as power cuts strike across Scotland | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Trains have been suspended across the country and hundreds of schools are closed as wind speeds of up to 102mph were recorded in Scotland.

Vehicles have been blown over and roads in some areas are closed due to debris from Storm Eowyn. Police Scotland said no motorists should travel in or to the red weather warning area, with the alert in force until 5pm.

The Scottish Government reported at 4pm that 100,000 homes were now without power, with the figure doubling over the course of the afternoon.

Dumfries and Galloway is the worst hit with power loss reported widely across the Central Belt. Homes in Ayrshire, East Lothian, Falkirk and the Scottish Borders are also affected, SP Energy Networks said. Around 25,000 of their customers are affected, according to an update released just after noon.

A woman shields herself from the wind during Storm Eowyn on Princes Street, Edinburgh. Schools have been closed and people warned not to travel on Friday, as 100mph winds pose a danger to life in parts of the UK as Storm Eowyn hits the country. Pic Jane Barlow/PA Wire. | PA

A statement from SP Energy Networks said: “The conditions are horrendous, with record wind speeds and road closures. Our teams will be assessing the damage and progressing repairs as soon as it’s safe to get people to fault locations and climbing poles to repair overhead lines. “

Aileen Rourke, SP Energy Networks, added wind speeds of almost 90mph had been recorded with conditions remaining “treacherous” and hampering the efforts of engineers to assess and repair damages.

She added: “As soon as it is safe to do so, our engineers will be out in the field working to get the power back on for people as soon as we can.”

As the storm hits, the loss of power is increasing across the country. Tighnabruaich and the Isle of Mull lost power just before 8.30am and Fort William and Spean Bridge were hit just before 9.45am.

Residents in Tighnabruaich and the Isle of Mull have been told power may not be restored until 10pm on Saturday given the “horrendous” conditions facing engineers.

The presence of the storm is also being felt on the east coast, with power lost to some homes in St Cyrus, Johnshaven and Gourdon around 9am, SSEN reported.

Blairgowrie and homes near Auchterarder are also affected, along with some properties on the outskirts of Dundee.

A statement from SSEN Distribution said ten times the usual number of engineers were now at work

The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN) said earlier this afternoon that 15,771 customers were without power across the country – a number it said is likely to increase throughout the day.

A statement said: “SSEN has at least ten times the usual number of people working in response to Storm Éowyn.”

Extra operators will be in the control room, to reroute the network around faults that may occur. In many cases, this can be done quickly, meaning briefer disruption to supplies.

The statement added: “As well as the text messages that have been already sent to almost 170,000 people on our Priority Services Register, we’ve been calling our most vulnerable customers to offer support.

“If anyone has specific concerns for family, friends or a neighbour who may be vulnerable during a prolonged power cut, they can get in touch with us on the free-to-call 105 emergency number.

“We’d like to thank customers for their patience while we respond to Storm Éowyn as safely and quickly as we can in what are extremely challenging conditions.”