Thousands of homes hit by power cuts

By Leanna MacLarty
Black out: Further power disruptions expected© STV

Thousands of homes are experiencing power cuts as gale force winds batter parts of Scotland.

More than 60,000 homes across the country were without power on Thursday evening while engineers prepared to work throughout the night in a bid to restore energy to as many people as possible.

Argyll and parts of Tayside have been the worst affected early on Thursday, with as many as 12,000 homes without power in the Perthshire area.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) said homes in eastern parts of Scotland were expected to lose power later in the day as the storm moves across the country.

More than 500 engineers are out in force trying to restore power to affected properties.

But dangerous weather conditions mean some areas may remain in the dark for some time.

An SSE spokesperson said: "We have got thousands of customers off supply across the area. Argyll and towards the west of the region are the worst hit. It is expected to hit Tayside later this afternoon.

"Conditions are very dangerous for our engineers as well. In some instances we have been unable to work due to dangerous conditions. We are working hard to ensure we have got the right people in the right places to bring supplies on as quickly as possible.

"It is an ever-changing picture."

Scottish Hydro said it had more than 50,000 customers without power and it expected the number to increase overnight before things got better.

ScottishPower customers in Dumfries, Midlothian, Central, and the Clyde coast have also experienced problems. The company said power lines had been hit by trees and other debris, causing damage and even bringing down some lines.

More than 600 ScottishPower engineers have been dispatched to repair faults and the utility has cancelled all non-essential maintenance to focus resources on weather damage. The firm said that by 5pm on Thursday it had reconnected over 18,000 customers across Scotland, and that extra engineers from Merseyside and Wales had been drafted in to assist with repairs.

A spokesperson commented: "The company will do all that it can to restore supplies as quickly as possible. However, some roads and paths have been blocked by fallen trees which could restrict access in certain locations, and where wind speeds remain high engineers will not be able to climb poles and work at height."

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