iStockMore than 100,000 homes across Scotland have lost power as Storm Eowyn batters the country with hurricane-force winds.
Scottish Power confirmed that around 70,000 customers were without electricity in central and southern areas due to the extreme weather conditions.
The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN) said that more than 15,000 customers are currently without power across the country – a number it said is likely to increase throughout the day.
It comes after a rare Met Office red alert was issued with Storm Eowyn bringing the most intense weather in recent history with wind speeds of 100mph.
People have been urged to stay indoors and not to travel under what has been described as “exceptional circumstances” by STV meteorologist Sean Batty.
The first-ever use in Scotland of the UK-wide emergency alert system saw phones belonging to those in the affected areas emit a loud siren and display urgent guidance from the government.
STV NewsScottish Power said it has organised a number of warm hubs adding that food vans are also being mobilised as well as hotels being offered to customers in urgent need.
A spokesperson for Scottish Power said its teams would be assessing the damages and progressing repairs as soon as it’s safe to get people to fault locations and climbing poles to repair overhead lines.
“We’re doing everything we can to get all customers back on supply as soon as conditions allow, and our customer service teams are keeping in touch with vulnerable customers on our Priority Services Register,” they added.
“Customers can keep up to date with the latest information on power cuts on the SP Energy Networks website and report power cuts to us by calling the free, national emergency helpline 105.”
Aileen Rourke, SP Energy Networks, said: “With red and amber warnings issued across the country we moved teams and resources into place ahead of Storm Éowyn approaching and contacted vulnerable customers on our Priority Services Register to give support.
“We’ve seen wind speeds of almost 90mph with conditions remaining treacherous, hampering our ability to assess and repair damage. As soon as it is safe to do so, our engineers will be out in the field working to get the power back on for people as soon as we can.
“For those currently without power, please be certain we are doing everything we can to get you back on supply as soon as conditions allow. If you’re experiencing a power outage, please report it to us by calling the free national emergency helpline 105.”
SSEN’s director of Customer Operations for the north of Scotland, Andy Smith, says: “Storm Éowyn is proving to be exceptional, with wind gusts the like of which we’ve not seen in Scotland for many years. We’d been monitoring the storm for several days and took pre-emptive steps to move extra teams to the places that are being affected by the impact of this particularly severe weather.
“These are particularly strong wind gusts, reaching over 90mph in places, and they’re already causing damage and disruption. These extreme conditions are limiting our ability to get to fault locations at the moment, but I want to reassure our customers that we’ve planned for this and have the right resources in the right places so we can start repairing any damage to the network and restoring supplies as soon as it’s safe to do so.
“The scale of what’s unfolding today means reconnecting everyone will take some time, and I’m grateful to customers for their patience and understanding while we do this.”
Those affected can stay up to date with the Scottish Power Cuts Map on their website or the SSEN Power Track site.
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