Storm Bram batters Scotland as high winds bring parts of country to standstill
Storm Bram has made its presence felt as road, rail and ferry travel disrupted and homes left without power.
Storm Bram battered Scotland throughout the night as high winds and rain brought part of the public transport system to a standstill and left homes without power across the country.
The north and west of Scotland bore the brunt of the storm, but challenging conditions were felt nationwide, with power engineers dealing with 22 power cuts from Dunoon to Aberdeenshire by 9pm.
In Edinburgh, a number of attractions at the Christmas Market were closed due to the weather, with the Winter Wonderlands at Glasgow Green and St Enoch Square also shut as a precaution.
In football, the Queen of the South v Dunfermline match was called off due to safety concerns with Dunfermline FC apologising to fans who made the long journey to Dumfries.
Meanwhile, multiple vehicles overturned on the M74 in South Lanarkshire forcing the road to close as Storm Bram caused difficult driving conditions.
An Amber warning for wind stood for parts of the Highlands, Argyll and Bute and the whole of the Western Isles until 3am on Wednesday morning, with the alert carrying a potential “danger of life” from flying debris and damaged buildings.
Forecasters predicted gusts of up to 90mph in some places.
By 8pm, wind speeds of 76mph were recorded in Drumalbin in Lanarkshire and Dundrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire.
High winds are expected to continue, with a yellow warning in place for the north of Scotland until 10pm on Wednesday, with further disruption to travel likely.
The yellow warning will hold in central, eastern and southern Scotland until 9pm on Wednesday.
CalMac cancelled crossings on 16 of its west coast routes as conditions worsened, with ScotRail taking the decision to shut the Glenfinnan to Mallaig line from 4pm yesterday, as well as between Dingwall Junction and Kyle of Lochalsh from 5pm. Further announcements on services are due, with passengers urged to check routes before they attempt to travel.
Waves crashing over the sea wall and onto tracks at Saltcoats caused overhead power lines to “trip”, leading to the cancellation of trains between Kilwinning and Largs/Ardrossan.
A number of routes from Glasgow Central were also affected by the storm, with services to Kilmarnock, Carlisle via Dumfries and Wemyss Bay all disrupted.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “Speed restrictions will be in place across parts of the network, and while this may mean some journeys take a little longer, these steps are essential to keeping everyone safe.
“We’ll have staff working around the clock to support Network Rail’s efforts and to keep people moving where it’s safe to do so.”
Disruption on the roads was also felt with the Tay Road Bridge open only to cars and single-decker buses and limited to 30pmh, and the A1 Tyne Bridge in East Lothian closed until 2am this morning.
Fallen trees also disrupted road travel, with the A76 closed at the Cuckoo roundabout, and M8 westbound shut at junction 2.
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The A84 was closed in both directions at Drumviach due to a fallen tree on the carriageway.
The Transport Scotland Resilience Room and the Multi-Agency Response Team are monitoring conditions, as is the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR).
Scotland’s Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Storm Bram will be the second named storm of the season, bringing challenging weather conditions and a period of disruption to the transport network.
“The Met Office warnings show high winds will impact the whole country, particularly in parts of the North West and Western Isles covered by the amber warning, so it’s vital people plan ahead if they have to travel.”
Chief Superintendent Scott McCarren, head of road policing at Police Scotland, said: “I would encourage people to drive to the conditions and plan ahead.
“Drivers of vehicles vulnerable to being blown over should plan their route to avoid exposed areas or consider cancelling your journey until conditions improve.
“In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads.”
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