Scotland weather: 12,000 homes still without power and travel disrupted for 4th day after Storm Amy

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that as of 8.30am on Monday, their teams had reconnected 80,000 households and work is under way to restore power for the remaining 8,500 .

SSEN said engineers were working in “challenging” conditions to reconnect the remaining homes following the storm which swept in on Friday.

The company, a distribution network operator for the north of Scotland, said that most of the homes still without power are in the Highlands, while some communities in Argyll and Bute are also waiting to be reconnected.

It said that several hundred engineers and arborists will be working across the network once again on Monday to reconnect customers.

Nik Wheeler, SSEN’s head of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said on Sunday evening: “With Storm Amy’s damaging and sustained winds finally subsiding, our huge reconnection operation is progressing well, although access challenges due to storm debris and fallen trees remain a concern.

“There are even more engineers out on the network today than yesterday, thanks to the arrival of dozens more teams from our fellow network operators and contract partners; they’ve come here from all over the country, and we’re grateful for their help.

“We appreciate that it’s taking some time to identify, access and fix all the damage, due to this storm’s rare intensity and prolonged nature. We don’t take our customers’ patience and understanding for granted, and I want to thank them for bearing with us while we reconnect them as safely and quickly as we can.

“I’d encourage people to take advantage of the hot meal provision we’re organising if they’re able, and to familiarise themselves with the compensation and reimbursement they may be entitled to.”

‘Vast majority’ of train services running

ScotRail said on Monday morning it was aiming to run most of its services as normal today.

It said problems are continuing on the Far North Line with a local shuttle service running between Inverness and Dingwall.

Trains will run between Glasgow and Oban and also between Mallaig and Fort William, however there will be no services tomorrow morning between Glasgow and Fort William due to ongoing external power supply issues.

On Monday morning it was also reporting signalling problems in the Inverness area and a loss of power to the overhead wires between Motherwell and Cumbernauld.

Network Rail said teams had been working “around the clock all weekend” to clear lines and carry out repairs and they were “nearly out the other side”.

Ross Moran, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “Storm Amy really left its mark on Scotland’s railway. With more than 420 incidents, including fallen trees and debris across the tracks, the scale of the recovery effort has been immense.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly, day and night, to clear routes and carry out essential repairs. Thanks to their dedication, we’ve made real progress but there’s still more to do.

“We understand how disruptive this has been for passengers, and we’re extremely grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding. Rest assured, we’re continuing the hard work to fully restore the network and appreciate your support as we get there.”

What’s the weather this week?

The Met Office said that the “swirl of cloud” associated with Storm Amy has now moved away towards Scandinavia.

In a post on social media, it said: “Sunday has been a less unsettled day in Amy’s wake, but it’s still blustery in places with a few showers in the west.”

The Met Office said Monday will see wet and windy weather across western Scotland. Temperatures are extremely mild, with widespread temperature's of above 15C and highs of 21C in Aberdeen later today.