8,000 without power three days after Storm Eowyn batters Scotland

Around 8,000 properties are still without power three days after Storm Eowyn battered Scotland with hurricane-force winds.

First Minister John Swinney said reconnecting power in Scotland following Storm Eowyn has been a “colossal” task as thousands of people are still without power.

Speaking at an event in Edinburgh, Swinney confirmed that more than 180,000 customers have had their electricity restored since Friday.

However, thousands still remain without power, with around 7,897 properties without electricity.

“The scale of the challenge has been colossal, utterly colossal,” he said.

Over 120 trees were reported to have fallen on tracks during Storm Eowyn. X/Network Rail

Swinney added that the impact of Storm Eowyn is a “warning that climate change is with us”.

Gusts hit 100mph north of the border as high winds caused damage across the country, disrupting travel and damaging property.

Andy Smith, SSEN’s director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said he was “grateful” for customers understanding during the huge response

“Our work to reconnect customers is going to plan, and some people may have seen their power back on sooner than expected,” he said.

“We’re focused on getting the remaining repairs done, and everyone reconnected as safely and as quickly as we can.”

Mr Smith added that free hot meals and other support is being offered to those affected by the outages.

“Several hundred engineers are working hard right now to fix faults safely and quickly, and we’ve had a group arrive from the southeast of England this morning to support our own response.

“I’d like to thank our own teams and those of our contract partners for their hard work and support over the past few days.”

Travel disruption is also continuing in the aftermath of the storm, with ScotRail saying that work to recover the railway from “very significant damage” is ongoing.

Network Rail reported around 500 individual incidents across the network, including over 120 trees on tracks, damaged overhead wires and more.

Some rail lines remain closed. X/Network Rail

First Minister John Swinney thanked the public, private and third sector for working tirelessly to get Scotland “fully back on its feet”.

“The severity of the damage caused by this major event has had a considerable impact across a wide area of the country,” he said.

“While every effort has been made over the weekend to fully restore services, unfortunately, it is clear some disruption can continue to be expected.”

Swinney added: “I would therefore urge rail commuters to plan their journeys ahead. The latest information can be found on Network Rail and ScotRail’s social media accounts and websites.

“While most schools will reopen, a small number are expected to be closed so buildings can be made safe. I expect local authorities to give advance warnings to parents, pupils, and staff when this is necessary.”