Shetland power cuts declared major incident

The power cuts in Shetland have been declared a major incident.

SSEN Distribution is working to restore supplies to about 2,800 homes but Keith Brown, lead minister for resilience, said it was clear that many properties would face days without power.

Extra engineers are due to arrive on the ferry from Aberdeen on Wednesday morning to help restore power.

Generators will also be sent and a helicopter will be used to assess damage to overhead lines.

All Shetland's schools will be closed for a second day.

Meanwhile there has been heavy snow across much of north-east Scotland overnight.

Aberdeenshire Council says most of its roads network has been affected by heavy snow, and a number of schools in Aberdeenshire and Moray will be closed.

Bus company Stagecoach Bluebird says its services have been affected, with many cancelled, delayed or diverted.

The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice for northern Scotland until 12:00 on Friday.

It covers the north and north-east of Scotland, Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

Mr Brown urged residents in Shetland to stay at home and check on neighbours, family and friends.

He said he had chaired a Scottish government resilience room with multi-agency partners to make sure every effort was being made to restore power to households.

The power cuts have been caused by "line icing", where snow and ice sticks to overhead power lines, weighing them down and causing them to break.

SSEN Distribution said local teams described conditions as the worst they had seen in 20 years.

The company has mobilised additional support from the mainland, with about 70 members of staff travelling to Shetland.

"While all efforts are focused on restoring customer supplies as soon as possible, full restoration remains likely to extend to the end of this week," the firm said.

Mae Jamieson told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime she lost power at 17:00 on Monday.

"It's white everywhere, it's still snowing, the roads are like a couple of inches of snow and ice, it's crazy," she said.

She added that she was quite well prepared with a gas stove, candles and head torches but would not be able to go anywhere.

Meanwhile, the body of a woman has been found in Shetland following a search involving a coastguard helicopter and rescue teams from Hillswick, Lerwick and Sumburgh..

Police Scotland confirmed that the body was recovered near an outbuilding in the Ollaberry area.

It is not yet known if the death is related to the weather conditions.

Power was restored to about 1,000 properties in Unst, Gutcher and parts of Yell on Tuesday by repairing the main 33 kilovolt network.

About 2,800 customers remain without power in Voe, Whalsay, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland.

Mr Brown said: "Our utmost priority must be to ensure that people, especially the most vulnerable, are safe and warm.

"SSEN have contacted all priority customers and Shetland Islands Council has identified vulnerable people who may need extra support.

"It is also considering how buildings such as community centres could be used to provide respite centres if needed."

He also urged people to stay at home, find ways to stay warm and check in on neighbours, family and friends, while listening to local radio or following social media for updates.

Mark Macdonald, head of region at SSEN Distribution, said damage to the network was "considerable" and "particularly extensive" across the west of mainland Shetland.

He added: "We'd like to thank NorthLink Ferries and Loganair for their ongoing support in getting our engineers to the islands as quickly as possible.

"I'd like to reassure customers we're working to restore supplies as quickly as possible, liaising closely with our resilience partners to support the joint welfare effort."

Customers in a vulnerable position should get in touch on the power cut helpline. A further update is expected will be provided mid-morning on Wednesday.