Tree down: Winds felled trees including this one in Queensferry Road Pic: © STV
Gusts of 97mph have forced the closure of the Forth Road Bridge as the ‘red alert’ storms batter the east of Scotland.
Gales of up to 102mph were recorded at Blackford Hill in Edinburgh and the Lothians region was plunged into travel chaos and power cuts by the extreme winds.
A lorry driver had to be cut from his vehicle by fire crews after it overturned on the A1 south of Dunbar, East Lothian.
The incident, which took place at 9.36am, saw the high winds force the heavy goods vehicle to tip over, trapping the driver inside. The fire brigade was called to the scene and had to use cutting equipment to free the driver.
He was attended to by paramedics at the scene before being taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to be treated for suspected chest and shoulder injuries.
A Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the service had not responded to any other calls involving weather-related injuries.
Lothian and Borders Police said the majority of calls to the service were weather-related, including tree and light building damage particularly in exposed areas in the Borders.
A spokesman said: “The amber weather warning will remain in place through the rest of the day.”
He added: “As in all these situations, we advise against travel unless necessary but if people are going to travel we would advise them to check their route prior to leaving.”
Rail
All rail services from Waverley station have been suspended including the main lines to and from Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street. All trains between Aberdeen and Edinburgh have been cancelled.
ScotRail issued a statement urging people not to travel. A spokesman said: “In the interest of customer safety and acting on the advice of the emergency services, we are urging customers not to travel today.”
National Rail issued a similar advisory. East Coast services between London and Edinburgh will terminate at Newcastle and all services north of the capital have been suspended.
The access road to Edinburgh Airport was earlier closed for safety reasons due to the high winds. Restrictions on inbound aircraft have been lifted but restrictions remain on outgoing flights and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. The airport is advising passengers against travelling without first checking with their airlines.
A spokesperson for Lothian Buses said more than a dozen of its usual services had suffered weather-related alterations.
The Forth Road Bridge is not expected to reopen until later on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
The M9 Edinburgh-bound carriageway was closed on Tuesday morning between Junction 9 and Junction 8 but has since been reopened.
Damage
City of Edinburgh Council has been inundated with reports of trees being felled, masonry being shaken from buildings, tiles falling off roofs as scores of fences were also left wrecked by the gales.
Sleigh Drive, Calder Gardens. Findlay Gardens, Melville Drive and Queensferry Road were among those streets affected by fallen trees.
Great Junction St in Leith is closed partially amid fears over masonry falling from the former Co-Operative building, and police are diverting traffic because of concerns over building safety on Cables Wynd. Warrender Swim Centre has also closed after roof damage while the leisure centre at Kirkliston is said to have been badly damaged also.
At least one bus shelter has been toppled during the storm.
Power cuts
Scottish Power customers have reported faults across the entire network area, starting in the west but spreading to the east. Around 3000 properties in Edinburgh and Lothians are experiencing disruptions to their electricity supplies.
Scottish Power has dispatched engineers to repair the faults but warned that high winds will slow down their operations. The utility said that the most extensive outages have been reported in Galashiels, North Berwick, and Roslin in Midlothian. Most of the disruptions have been caused by trees and other debris striking overhead power lines.
A spokesperson said: “We are doing everything we can to get customers back up as early as we can.”
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