AROUND 8000 homes in Scotland remain without power after Storm Gerrit battered the country.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution warned that some could be without supply into Friday.
It said its workers have faced wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.
Weather conditions have also continued to disrupt travel, with some drivers trapped for hours on the A9.
Many routes remain closed on the railway while a number of roads are still facing disruption with drivers urged to take care.
SSEN's latest update said that 7700 properties remain cut off in the following areas as of 10.45am.
- Argyll and West Highland - 1366
- Highland - 844
- North East - 1854
- Orkney - 192
- Shetland - 2319
- Tayside and Central - 1094
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, director of corporate affairs Graeme Keddie said: “Many of those are in the north-east and Shetland which saw later impact into yesterday afternoon and evening, and that will be very much our priority throughout the course of today.
“One of the main impacts we’ve seen is around access to faults – so blocked roads, flooding in fields and issues with snow.
“We’re very hopeful that that will ease today, but that has meant our teams on the ground have been saying that in the time it’d take to fix two or three faults they have only been able to fix one, but we are hopeful of further progress today as weather conditions have eased.”
Asked how long it would take before power is restored to all customers in Scotland, he added: “Based on the impact, particularly in the north-east, we do believe that some customers, particularly in areas that have been impacted heavily or rural locations, will be into Friday.”
Stein Connelly, head of transport resilience at Transport Scotland, urged people to plan ahead when travelling.
He said: “It’s been an extremely challenging period for the transport network. The partnership response to Storm Gerrit continues and our trunk road operating companies are working hard to open roads as soon as possible.
“On the A96 at Huntly, the road remains closed in both directions due to flooding, with teams continuing to work to clear the water this morning.
UPDATE ❗⌚ 08:58 🛣 #A9 - Scrabster ⛔CLOSED in BOTH DIRECTIONS due to an obstruction on the carriageway. We are seeing a slight build up in the area this morning #UseAltRoute at this time @NWTrunkRoads pic.twitter.com/VG27bz2jOZ
— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) December 28, 2023
“Fallen trees are still impacting the A82 between Fort Augustus and Invergarry, with the clearance effort still under way.
“The weather has improved and the Met Office warnings have ended, but people may still encounter difficult driving conditions due to surface water and flooding.
“We continue to ask people to plan ahead, to drive appropriately and to take care out on the road network.
“Public transport services remain impacted, so please check with your transport operator across all modes to understand if your service has been cancelled or delayed.”
