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Disruption continues as clean-up begins after Storm Floris

Disruption continues as clean-up begins after Storm Floris

ScotRail said suspended routes would need to be checked before they could be reopened with disruption expected until around 4pm on Tuesday.
Caledonian Sleeper Services were cancelled on Monday night while LNER said services north of Newcastle could be delayed or cancelled on Tuesday and TransPennine Express said no services will run north of Carlisle or Newcastle before 9am.
They advised customers not to travel before then with rail operators advising passengers to check on services before travelling.
The Scottish Government said there were 119 incidents on the rail network caused by Storm Floris on Monday, including 75 tree-related ones, and Network Rail said it is working 'tirelessly' to clear routes blocked by falling trees and debris.
CalMac Ferries, which operates services on Scotland's west coast, faced disruption on Tuesday while on the roads, Traffic Scotland said the Tyne Bridge and Forth Road Bridge had reopened overnight.
Further south, the A66 in Durham and Cumbria was closed to high-sided vehicles for several hours overnight between Scotch Corner and the M6 at Penrith due to high winds.
The Scottish Government's Resilience Room held a meeting on Monday night to help decide an appropriate response to the storm, which has led to power outages and delays in exam results being delivered to pupils.
The meeting was attended by justice and home affairs secretary Angela Constance, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for health and social care Neil Gray and climate action and energy secretary Gillian Martin, alongside representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and further resilience partners.
Here are the top wind gusts we have recorded so far today in association with Storm Floris
Scotland has provisionally equalled it's August record of 82mph at Wick Airport pic.twitter.com/7CaM1fmARg
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 4, 2025
Ms Constance said: 'As expected, there has been significant disruption, particularly across the travel networks.
'Power cuts are affecting a significant number of properties, and while utilities companies are working hard to reconnect supply in the face of challenging conditions, this will undoubtedly take some time to complete.
'The recovery period – both to reconnect homes to power and get transport back to normal – will require some time to clear the debris.
'We will continue to receive updates throughout Tuesday.'
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said Storm Floris had been 'the most-damaging summer storm in recent memory' with the BBC reporting around 43,500 properties were without power on Monday night.
Director of customer operations for the north of Scotland Andy Smith said: 'At the height of summer, we've mounted an operation that's comparable in size to the ones we mobilise when a storm hits during the depths of winter, but the sustained nature of these damaging winds means some affected customers may be without power overnight.'
The Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire were the worst hit areas and SSEN said it was providing free hot food and drinks on Tuesday in several areas where homes remained without power.
Workers cut up a tree which was felled by the wind on Plessey Road in Blyth, Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA)
A yellow warning for wind remained in place for the Orkney and Shetland Islands until 8am on Tuesday and while conditions are expected to improve, more wet and windy weather is likely to return to the north west of the UK late on Wednesday and into Thursday.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mike Silverstone said: 'While the system later this week won't carry as many impacts as Storm Floris, a further period of unseasonable wet and windy weather is on the way late on Wednesday and into Thursday for those in northwestern parts of the UK.
'An area of low pressure from the west will bring some strong winds, especially for those in western parts of Scotland.
'Gusts over 50mph are possible for a time. Some heavy rain will also accompany the strong winds, with up to 30mm possible.'
A gust of 82mph at Wick airport on Monday provisionally equalled the highest August gust in Scotland with speeds in excess of 70mph records in various parts of the country.
Cassley in the north of Scotland recorded 58.4mm of rain on Monday.
Northern Ireland also provisionally equalled a record for August with gusts of 66mph at Orlock Head
The south of the UK is expected to see less rain on Thursday, although it will remain unsettled. Changeable conditions will continue in the north and northwest into the weekend.
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Fewer than 1,000 Scottish homes still without power after Storm Floris
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By 9.30pm on Wednesday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said there were around 950 homes, mainly in the Highlands, that were still without power as a result of the weather. Around 98.6% of customers (71,000) have been reconnected as hundreds of engineers worked into the evening in affected areas for as long as daylight allowed. SSEN said the teams will return to continue to repair the network on Thursday morning. The company added: 'SSEN thanks customers for their understanding and patience while we continue to repair the network and reconnect customers as safely and quickly as possible.' Justice and Home Affairs Minister Angela Constance said the storm had a particular impact on power and transport infrastructure across the country, resulting in a major mobilisation of utility companies, national agencies and local authorities. The Scottish Government said transport services are almost back to normal, and engineers are continuing to restore power to homes and businesses. Ms Constance thanked responders who assisted in reconnecting the public and businesses. She said: 'I want to thank everyone in the public, private and third sector for the role they played in responding to Storm Floris. 'It was a significant and unseasonal storm with the worst affected areas covering a wide geographical spread. 'Engineers have worked tirelessly over the past two days to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. 'Energy companies continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.' Thousands of customers spent a second night without power after Storm Floris swept in on Monday. Tens of thousands were left without power after winds reached speeds of up to 90mph earlier in the week. An amber weather warning was in place for an area stretching from the central belt to northern Scotland for much of the day on Monday while the rest of the country was covered by a yellow weather warning. The storm also caused significant disruption to Scotland's rail network. Network Rail said teams had been working 'tirelessly' to repair damage to infrastructure such as overhead lines and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks. The storm also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities on SQA results day on Tuesday.

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By 9.30pm on Wednesday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said there were around 950 homes, mainly in the Highlands, that were still without power as a result of the weather. Around 98.6% of customers (71,000) have been reconnected as hundreds of engineers worked into the evening in affected areas for as long as daylight allowed. SSEN said the teams will return to continue to repair the network on Thursday morning. The company added: 'SSEN thanks customers for their understanding and patience while we continue to repair the network and reconnect customers as safely and quickly as possible.' Justice and Home Affairs Minister Angela Constance said the storm had a particular impact on power and transport infrastructure across the country, resulting in a major mobilisation of utility companies, national agencies and local authorities. Justice and Home Affairs Minister Angela Constance (Jane Barlow/PA) The Scottish Government said transport services are almost back to normal, and engineers are continuing to restore power to homes and businesses. Ms Constance thanked responders who assisted in reconnecting the public and businesses. She said: 'I want to thank everyone in the public, private and third sector for the role they played in responding to Storm Floris. 'It was a significant and unseasonal storm with the worst affected areas covering a wide geographical spread. 'Engineers have worked tirelessly over the past two days to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. 'Energy companies continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.' Thousands of customers spent a second night without power after Storm Floris swept in on Monday. Tens of thousands were left without power after winds reached speeds of up to 90mph earlier in the week. An amber weather warning was in place for an area stretching from the central belt to northern Scotland for much of the day on Monday while the rest of the country was covered by a yellow weather warning. The storm also caused significant disruption to Scotland's rail network. Network Rail said teams had been working 'tirelessly' to repair damage to infrastructure such as overhead lines and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks. The storm also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities on SQA results day on Tuesday.

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