100mph winds and blizzards batter Scotland

STV

Motorists were warned not to travel in parts of Scotland as 100mph winds and heavy snow battered the country on Tuesday.

The Tay and Forth bridges remain closed because of high winds. Gusts of 97mph had been recorded on the Forth Road Bridge in the morning.

The Kingston Bridge in Glasgow was closed for several hours because lorries were blown over in the strong winds, while the Erskine Bridge was also closed.

Police had warned against all travel but are now advising caution to those travelling in central Scotland as 50mph winds continue to affect transport networks.

The River Clyde burst its banks in several places as severe weather hits the country on Tuesday.

Five people were injured when high winds overturned caravans at the Stratheck caravan park in Dunoon in Argyll and Bute shortly after 8am.

Three people were airlifted to the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley for treatment.

Fallen trees and flying debris have caused power cuts to hundreds of homes across the country, particularly in Argyll and the Trossachs. Trunk roads saw more than 20 fallen trees, localised flooding, and around 10 incidents involving blown-over vehicles.

Engineers are working to restore power to homes and at their peak the winds deprived 85,000 customers of their electricity supply. Scottish and Southern Energy said homes in Tayside and the north-east were expected to be affected as Tuesday progressed.

Winds of up to 102mph were recorded at Blackford Hill in Edinburgh while gusts reached 97mph at Islay, 92mph at Machrihanish in Argyll, and 91mph at Bishopton in Renfrewshire.

Edinburgh Airport initially closed its access road for safety reasons and advised travellers to check with their airlines before leaving for the facility. Restrictions on incoming aircraft have now been lifted but permission for flights to take off is still being issued on a case-by-case basis.

The Met Office issued red alerts for wind in Strathclyde, central and south-west Scotland, while the M9 road was closed to northbound traffic at junction 8 because of fallen trees and overturned lorries.

Strathclyde Police advised motorists to avoid driving on Tuesday because of severe weather unless their journey is "absolutely necessary" but it is understood that all police forces have scaled back their travel warnings as wind speeds begin to fall.

Network Rail has suspended all travel in the central belt as staff work to remove fallen trees and scattered debris from train lines. Around 350 teams were dispatched to clear 200 fallen trees. 

Rail travellers across Scotland continue to face delays and short-notice cancellations. On many routes alternative transport is not being provided.

The severe weather has also caused disruption and widespread cancellation of flights from Glasgow and also to ferry travel around the country. Commuters are warned to travel only if necessary.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued ten flood warnings, particularly for the Easter Ross and Tayside areas.

At a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGoRR), the top-level team convened in times of crisis and emergency, on Tuesday afternoon the First Minister was told that calls to police control rooms across the country increased by between 300 and 400 per cent throughout the day. Alex Salmond also heard that prohibitive travel advice from police forces had now been scaled back as wind speeds in the central belt dropped to 50mph. 

Speaking after the SGoRR briefing, transport minister Keith Brown said efforts to restore transport and power infrastructure to normal were ongoing.

He commented: "The severe winds we experienced this morning may be easing off, but the efforts to restore transport links and power continue unabated, with thousands of staff working hard across this country this afternoon and evening to get services back to normal.

"Thanks to the resilience arrangements that were put in place on Monday, engineers and chainsaw gangs - including many additional staff brought in from other areas - have been out all day restoring power lines, repairing faults and clearing trees from railway lines, roads and power lines.

"We have seen exceptionally high winds across much of central Scotland - reaching 102mph in Edinburgh - and it is clear that there has been a lot of structural damage to homes and businesses as well as significant disruption to the transport and power networks.”
 

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