Thousands of homes still without power after Storm Arwen

Thousands of homes remain without power for a fourth day as engineers work to repair the damage wreaked by Storm Arwen

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that power has been restored to 98,000 customers in total since the start of the storm around lunchtime on Friday, however, 24,000 homes and businesses remain off supply.

SSEN warned that it does not expect power to be restored to some properties before Tuesday at the earliest, while “localised faults” may not be fixed until after that.

The company said it is working closely with local and national resilience partners to help coordinate the community response and support is being prioritised for the most vulnerable Priority Services Register customers.

Meanwhile, SP Energy Networks said that about 4,500 customers were still without power at 2pm on Monday.

More than 100,000 homes in Scotland lost power on Friday night due to the severe damage caused by the storm, which brought gusts of almost 100mph and claimed three lives in the UK.

Mark Rough, director of customer operations at SSEN, said: “The severity and prolonged nature of Storm Arwen has caused widespread and extensive damage to our network in the north east of Scotland, with significant and challenging conditions resulting in multiple instances of damage to several overhead line circuits.

“We continue to make good progress carrying out repairs and restoring power, with (an) additional 9,500 customer supplies restored overnight and into this morning (Monday).

“We are committed to restoring power to as many customers today as possible but, given the complexity and scale of the situation, some customers will continue to be without power overnight.

“The extent of damage means the repair work needed is complex and often requires lengthy clearance of access just to reach the problem areas, with substantial tree cutting and re-erection of overhead network infrastructure.

“We continue to work closely with our local resilience partners to prioritise support for our most vulnerable customers.”

Mr Rough encouraged any vulnerable customer who is concerned about remaining off supply, or anyone worried about a vulnerable relative or neighbour, to call SSEN teams on 105, and thanked customers for their patience.

In Aberdeenshire all schools will be closed for pupils and staff on Monday and Tuesday as any storm damage is assessed.

SP Energy Networks said its teams continue to work around the clock to restore supplies for all customers left without power.

It said that as of 2pm on Monday in Scotland, 4,500 customers were affected, with the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway Fife and the Lothians worst hit.

The company said that in many areas damage has been severe, caused by fallen trees and other wind-blown debris, while the storm has also had an impact on the road network which makes it harder for engineers to access some sites where repairs are needed.

An SP Energy Networks spokesman said: “Over the weekend, Storm Arwen brought winds of over 90mph and, as a result, has caused some of the worst damage to our network we have experienced in over 15 years.

“We apologise to all of our customers who have been affected by the damage, we understand the inconvenience this has caused many households and we appreciate everyone’s patience whilst we continue to try to resolve the ongoing issues.”