Thousands of Aberdeenshire homes left without gas overnight

Thousands of homes in Aberdeenshire have been left without gas overnight.

Around 4500 properties in Keith and Huntly are affected by the outage with residents urged to turn off supplies.

Gas has been restored to hospital and care homes and hospitals with vulnerable customers being prioritised.

Engineers have been working around the clock to rectify the issue that was first reported on Tuesday morning.

They are hoping to have gas available for the whole area by Wednesday night.

In an update released on Wednesday, gas distribution company SGN said: “We’re prioritising restoring gas supplies to vulnerable customers this morning and have already restored supplies to the hospital and care homes.

“We’re aiming for gas to be available to everyone in Huntly and Keith later today.

“In the meantime, it’s important your gas supply remains off at the meter until we tell you to turn it back on.

“If you need any extra help while you’re without your supply, you can reach us on live chat, text us on 07490 077 649 or call us on 0800 912 1717.”

A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for Aberdeenshire on Wednesday.

SGN is coordinating a letter drop to all affected households, and will offer additional support to vulnerable residents as they thanked residents for their “continued patience and support”.