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Winds of up to 80mph cut power to 5,500 properties in the Highlands

JASPERIMAGE Wind damage to Dalneigh Primary SchoolJASPERIMAGE
The roof of Dalneigh Primary in Inverness was damaged by high winds

Winds gusting to up to 80mph caused power cuts across the Highlands overnight.

Electricity company SSEN said its engineers had to restore supplies to 5,500 customers - 2,500 of them in the Gairloch and Aultbea areas.

In Inverness, part of the roof of Dalneigh Primary School was damaged by strong gusts.

The Met Office had issued a yellow "be aware" warning for high winds overnight Sunday into Monday.

SSEN said "As of 12:00, there are around 500 customers off-supply across the north of Scotland and we expect to restore all supplies by 5pm.

"We'd like to thank customers for their patience and apologise for any disruption."

Gairloch's primary and high school along with nearby Poolewe Primary were closed because of the power cuts.

The overnight severe winds followed two named winter storms - Arwen in late November and Barra earlier this month.

FLS Storm Arwen forest damageFLS
A Forest and Land Scotland image of damage to forestry caused last month's by Storm Arwen

Forestry industry body Confor has released its latest estimate the damage gale-force during Storm Arwen caused to UK forests.

It has estimated at least one million cubic metres of timber was affected, and said forest and woodland owners were now facing the challenges of removing the damaged trees safely and finding markets for wind-blown timber.

Forestry and Land Scotland has released aerial images showing some of the damage it has found in its forests in east and south Scotland.