Last of 72,000 homes in Scotland which lost power in Storm Floris reconnected
Power network Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said the storm was 'exceptional' and that its response operation in the north of Scotland was 'comparable to those usually seen in the depths of winter'.
A spokesperson said repairs took longer due to fallen trees and 'the sheer volume of damage to overhead lines caused by this week's destructive winds', and that by 11am on Friday customers who lost power on Monday were 'finally reconnected'.
SSEN said 'record wind speeds and widespread storm-force gusts' caused 'considerable network damage'.
By 9.30pm on Wednesday, SSEN had said there were around 950 homes, mainly in the Highlands, that were still without power as a result of the weather. A total of 71,000 customers had been reconnected by that stage.
Some 7,500 hot meals were provided to people awaiting reconnection, with 1,000 workers being part of the operation to restore power, officials said.
The company thanked customers for their 'patience and understanding', and said 100,000 vulnerable customers were contacted ahead of the storm arriving via text or by phone call.
Storm Floris has been confirmed as a category two severe weather event, which means customers without power for more than 48 hours continuously will receive a guaranteed standards payment of £85, and a subsequent payment of £45 for each continuous six-hour period that they did not have power thereafter.
Andy Smith, SSEN distribution's director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said: 'Floris was an exceptional storm, which has called for an exceptional response from us – 1,000 people have been working hard to reconnect homes and support customers while a huge volume of network reconstruction has been done in challenging conditions.
'I want to say thank you to everyone who's played their part in this response, both from our own teams, and also those of our contract partners and fellow network operators who've willingly come to support us.
'But as the restoration work draws to a close, I'd particularly like to thank all 72,000 customers whose supplies were interrupted for their patience and understanding while we've worked to rebuild the network as safely and as quickly as we could.
'The kindness shown to our teams working in communities and the support given on social media over the past few days has been very much appreciated.
'Now supplies have been restored, I encourage those who lost power to take a look at the details of compensation that will be provided, and also to make a claim for reimbursement if they qualify.'
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