Over 2,000 homes still without power after storm
ReutersMore than 2,000 Scottish households are still without power, days after Storm Éowyn hit Scotland, damaging property and infrastructure.
Scottish Power Energy Networks, which supplies central and southern Scotland, said 1,908 customers were still without power with engineers from both companies working to return power to affected properties.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said it was still working to restore electricity supply to 240 customers who lost power due to storm damage.
Network Rail said it responded to more than 800 incidents in Scotland during the storm with 75% of the network now operational.
The following ScotRail services continue to be affected:
- Paisley - Gourock/Wemyss Bay
- Kilwinning - Largs/Ardrossan
- Hamilton Circle - Ayr/Girvan/Stranraer
A ScotRail spokesperson said rail replacement services were operational on affected routes.
They added: "Travel on rail replacement services will result in longer journey times. Bus times are available on the ScotRail app, but are dependent on traffic conditions."
High winds with gusts of up to 100mph caused significant damage to infrastructure on the rail network.
Network Rail said teams of engineers worked hard over the weekend to repair damage and remove debris from the lines.
Network RailSP Energy said power had been restored to more than 99% of customers with 1,900 waiting to be reconnected.
The majority of those still affected are located in Dumfries and Galloway with small pockets in other areas.
SSEN said work continued on Tuesday morning to restore power to 900 homes with the provider offering direct updates on their power track website.
Both energy providers said they were continuing to provide hot food and drinks to customers without power with a list of locations available on social media.
A 19-year-old man in East Ayrshire was killed during the storm when his car was struck by a tree.
Calum Carmichael was driving on the B743 in Mauchline, East Ayrshire on Friday morning when the tree, torn out of the ground by strong winds, struck his vehicle.
Several building were damaged by strong winds including Helensburgh Leisure Centre which saw extensive damage to its roof.
The stadium at Celtic Park was also damaged, resulting in a Scottish Premiership match with Dundee being postponed.
Donibristle Primary School in Dalgety Bay said it would remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday with pupils offered home learning as the school's roof was damaged.
In Glasgow, a 400-year-old tree with connections to Mary Queen of Scots was severely damaged.
A number of branches on the Darnley Sycamore – said to be where Mary Stuart nursed Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley back to health after a long illness – were blown off during high winds.
In Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Garden saw the loss of its tallest tree - planted 166 years ago by Queen Victoria's eldest son, Albert.
Getty ImagesHome Affairs Secretary Angela Constance told a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGORR) on Monday evening that more than 280,000 homes in Scotland had power reconnected.
She said: "Three days after the worst of Storm Éowyn, we can see how the sheer scale of the damage continues to impact Scotland's return to normal. I want to thank everyone who is playing their part, day and night, to get services back up and running.
"While trunk roads and ferries are largely operating as normal, the railway continues to recover and Network Rail has experienced over 500 incidents.
"We can, however, expect continued disruption on some lines to last until later this week, so I would ask passengers to be patient and check ScotRail and Network Rail information before they travel."
Constance said a small number of schools would remain closed on Tuesday with local authorities contacting parents and pupils where appropriate.