Thousands of Scots currently going through an outage in Shetland have had their landlines reconnected.
The island residents are now in their fourth day of the power cut after energy supplies were lost on Monday, December 12. Community hubs have been set up in various areas to offer emergency food while a multi-agency task force works to have 3,000 homes reconnected.
While main roads are now deemed as passible after being dug out from the snow, officers from Police Scotland have urged residents to remain at home if surrounding routes, such as backroads and side roads, are dangerous. It comes as sub-zero conditions are forecast to continue over the next 24 hours, with frequent rain, sleet, hail and snow showers.
The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice covering northern Scotland and north-east England until 11.59pm on Thursday. Shetland Island Council has urged anyone needing support to get in touch.
Council Leader Emma Macdonald said: “This is a tremendously difficult time for many people whose homes will be cold and food and other supplies may be running low. I’d urge anyone with urgent health or care needs to get in touch and our staff will respond to any request for help as best we can.
"Additional SSE staff are now in the isles in large numbers to restore power as quickly as possible but it will take time, given the scale of the damage to the power network in Shetland and the continued challenging weather conditions.”
Chief Inspector Stuart Clemenson said: “Thanks to incredible efforts from Shetland Islands Council gritting teams, main roads are now passable however the vast majority of side roads are still unpassable and not safe to travel on. If you think that the routes surrounding your home will still be dangerous, then please stay at home and find ways to keep warm, linking in with friends, family or neighbours to check that everyone is OK.
“In saying this, many areas are much clearer than previous days and community hubs have been set up in various communities to offer warmth and food. If it is safe to do so, then please visit these locations – you can find details on the council website and social media channels.
"Please take care though and take precautions if walking or travelling by vehicle - NHS services in Shetland are under incredible pressure at the moment and we all need to do everything we can to not place more pressure on these services from injuries that could have been avoided.”
For more information on community halls open, visit here.
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