Workers are still working to restore electricity to homes cut off during Storm Boelo, which brought wind warnings and travel disruption across Scotland over the weekend.
In final updates on Sunday evening, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said at around 7pm that 38,000 customers were still without power, having restored electricity to around 54,000, while SP Energy Networks (SPEN) said at 7.45pm that around 4,500 were still without power.
Fatalities and injuries
A man, 60, was killed on Sunday by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway, while two women were injured by another falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross.
Emergency services were called to a flooded care home in Sidney Street, Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, on Sunday evening. Police Scotland said everyone at the care home was accounted for and that local road closures were in place, with officers expected to remain on site overnight to assist.
Weather outlook and travel
There are no further weather warnings for Scotland on Monday, though a yellow warning for wind comes into force from 3am on Tuesday, ending just before midnight the same day. Storm Boelo brought 80mph gusts and travel disruption to much of Scotland over the weekend, shortly after Storm Austen brought heavy rain to many areas on Friday.
In a post on X on Monday, First Minister John Swinney expressed his condolences over the death of the man in Dumfries and Galloway, as well as for another man in his 20s who died in north London as a result of the storm. “My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two people who have tragically lost their lives as a result of Storm Boelo,” he said. “My thoughts are with all those affected by the damage, and I thank the emergency services working through the night to keep people safe.”
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) met on Sunday to discuss the fallout from the storm.
Rail and road recovery
Network Rail said most train services will return to normal on Monday, though passengers have been urged to check their journeys online beforehand. It said teams have cleared up felled trees and debris from tracks, and have repaired overhead lines and flooding that had disrupted the network, with work expected to continue throughout Sunday evening and overnight. Network Rail previously said the following areas may still be affected by Monday morning: Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, Inverness to Thurso/Wick, Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William/Oban, and Ayr to Stranraer.
Gary Hopkirk, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “It’s been a really challenging weekend for Scotland’s railway and particularly for the teams who’ve been out in some very difficult conditions responding to whatever the weather has thrown at us. Our focus throughout has been on keeping people safe and trains moving wherever possible. Now the worst of the weather has passed, our attention is on getting the railway back to normal. We’ll be working as quickly as we can, but we won’t compromise on safety. We know disruption is frustrating and we really appreciate the patience people have shown this weekend while our teams do everything they can to get everyone moving again.”
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, added: “While good progress is being made, there are still a small number of routes where work will continue into Monday morning. We’re working closely with Network Rail to get these reopened as quickly as possible, but our priority remains the safety of our customers and staff, and trains will only resume when it is safe to do so.”
Some roads and bridges around Scotland remain closed, according to Traffic Scotland’s website. Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland, said the A78 Shore Road between Skelmorlie and Largs in North Ayrshire is closed for repairs due to damage it sustained from the storm. The road closed on Sunday morning after the storm left severe cracking and displaced the surface, with more tests planned to determine the extent of the damage and a diversion in place.
A spokesperson for Amey said: “Our priority is the safety of road users, and the road will stay closed until our engineers have been able to inspect the full extent of the damage and confirm it is safe. We will share a further update once we have a clearer picture of the repairs needed and how long they are likely to take. We will issue updates via our website – www.swtrunkroads.scot – social media channels @SWtrunkroads and free Roadwork Alerts service. We appreciate how disruptive this closure is to the communities of Largs, Skelmorlie and Wemyss Bay, and we are grateful for the patience and understanding of residents and road users for their patience while we undertake an urgent repair.”
Ferries and flooding
As of 10pm on Sunday night, 23 of CalMac’s 30 ferry services were still facing disruption and cancellations. Several rail lines in western and northern Scotland also closed due to the strong wind and heavy rain warnings, with services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire stopping from 9pm on Saturday and the Oban and Mallaig lines closing from about 10pm.
Early on Monday, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) had 11 regional flood alerts and 10 local flood warnings in place across parts of the country. The agency said there was a risk of surface water, river and coastal flooding across many parts of Scotland at the weekend. Flooding also hit parts of Scotland’s west coast on Sunday, with Largs businesses flooded, and similar situations in other towns in the same area, such as Saltcoats.
Western Ferries, which operates services across the Firth of Clyde, announced its service would resume on Monday, advising passengers: “As always, please check the latest sailing status on our website before travelling.”
