Around 12,000 homes still without power as Storm Amy clean up continues

Around 12,000 homes remain without power after Storm Amy swept in on Friday, causing widespread damage and disruption to travel.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that by 9pm on Sunday, 76,000 homes customers had been reconnected after the storm’s “extremely damaging” winds.

SSEN, the distribution network operator for the north of Scotland, said engineers are working in “challenging” conditions to reconnect the remaining 12,000 homes.

The company said that several hundred engineers and arborists will be working across the network again on Monday to reconnect customers.

Weather warnings have now expired, but there was still some disruption to rail services on Sunday as work continues to repair damage in the aftermath of the storm.

ScotRail said that services have been operating across the majority of the network on Sunday following “round-the-clock work” by Network Rail colleagues and it expects the vast majority to run on Monday.

However, there were no services on the Far North Inverness/Wick/Kyle lines on Sunday as Network Rail teams work on “complex” repairs.

There were no services on the Oban/Crianlarich/Fort William/Mallaig West Highland Line for much of the day, though in the evening, ScotRail said that the sections between Fort William and Mallaig and between Oban and Crianlarich had reopened.

ScotRail advised customers to check the ScotRail app, website, and social media channels for the most up-to-date information on services before travelling.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We’re very pleased that the vast majority of services are now operating. Storm Amy was even more severe than forecast, with winds of up to 100mph in some parts of Scotland.

“This led to very challenging conditions for the rail network, and working with Network Rail, we took the responsible decision to withdraw train services in many parts of the country where weather conditions were most severe.

“We understand the effect this has on customers, but this was a necessary step to ensure the safety of passengers and staff, which is always our first priority.”

London North Eastern Railway said that the midday London King’s Cross to Inverness service will terminate at Edinburgh because of a fallen tree blocking all lines at Moy Loop.

It said that customers travelling to Inverness and stations north of Edinburgh will be provided with road transport from Edinburgh.

A yellow warning of wind was in place for the east and north east of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland until midday on Sunday.

That came after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering the whole of the UK on Saturday, while an amber weather warning of “damaging” winds was in force in northern Scotland until 9pm that day.

The Met Office said wind gusts reached 96mph across northern Scotland on Saturday, where Cassley saw 84.6mm of rain fall in 24 hours.

Weather warnings were also in place across much of the country on Friday when the storm first hit.

SSEN said wind speeds reached 96mph at lower levels on the island of Tiree on Friday, and gusts of more than 100mph in exposed areas.

The company said that most of the homes still without power are in the Highlands while some communities in Argyll and Bute are also waiting to be reconnected.

Nik Wheeler, SSEN’s head of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said: “With Storm Amy’s damaging and sustained winds finally subsiding, our huge reconnection operation is progressing well, although access challenges due to storm debris and fallen trees remain a concern.

“There are even more engineers out on the network today than yesterday, thanks to the arrival of dozens more teams from our fellow network operators and contract partners; they’ve come here from all over the country, and we’re grateful for their help.

“We appreciate that it’s taking some time to identify, access and fix all the damage, due to this storm’s rare intensity and prolonged nature. We don’t take our customers’ patience and understanding for granted, and I want to thank them for bearing with us while we reconnect them as safely and quickly as we can.

“I’d encourage people to take advantage of the hot meal provision we’re organising if they’re able, and to familiarise themselves with the compensation and reimbursement they may be entitled to.”

Irish police said a man died in a “weather-related” incident in the Letterkenny area of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, shortly after 4.15pm on Friday.

The storm also caused transport disruption with ferries cancelled, flights affected and roads and railway lines blocked by fallen trees.

Network Rail Scotland said that as of Sunday afternoon, they have had reports of more than 420 incidents across Scotland’s railway as a result of Storm Amy and that teams are working hard to repair damage.

The Met Office said that the “swirl of cloud” associated with Storm Amy has now moved away towards Scandinavia.

In a post on social media, it said: “Sunday has been a less unsettled day in Amy’s wake, but it’s still blustery in places with a few showers in the west.”