Around 200 homes without power after strong winds

Around 200 homes remain without power following severe gales overnight.

A yellow weather warning for wind issued by the Met Office expired at 11am on Friday, which covered Orkney, Shetland and western parts of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.

Forecasters had warned of windy conditions, which had the potential for disruption, along with heavy showers and hail.

They had said gusts could potentially reach 75mph.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said around 1,000 homes on the Isle of Mull were without power mid-morning on Friday, however hundreds have now been restored and the number is down to around ten properties.

The company said 150 to 200 homes remain without power across Scotland.

A Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution spokesperson said: “We’ve almost finished reconnecting the last-remaining customers still without power following the impact of the severe weather which crossed the country last night and earlier today.

“Preliminary figures suggest wind speeds reached 83mph on the Western Isles, and 75mph on Mull. 175 lighting strikes were also recorded.

“The vast majority of those affected are now back on supply; work to reconnect around 90 customers continues this afternoon.

“We’re doing this as safely and as quickly as we can, and we’d like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience as we carry this out.”