Scots could be without power over weekend as second storm ‘may be worse’

Storm Corrie is set to hit on Sunday afternoon.

A fallen tree in Clydebank, Scotland (Gregor Fulton) (PA Media)

Some Scots could be without power for the rest of the weekend as the impact of another storm due to hit on Sunday could be worse than anticipated, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Ms Sturgeon chaired a Scottish Government resilience meeting on Saturday as winds of more than 100mph were recorded.

On Twitter, Ms Sturgeon said the impact of Storm Malik had been “severe”, but that Storm Corrie – due to hit from Sunday afternoon – “may be more severe for parts of Scotland”.

“Unfortunately as #Malik subsides, Storm #Corrie is about to hit from late tomorrow afternoon & may be more severe for parts of Scotland – eg Highlands, Grampian, Tayside than anticipated,” she said.

“Please follow @metoffice for any updates to the weather warnings in place.”

There are currently 209 power outages across Scotland, most of which are in the north-east or north of the country, according to the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

“Impact of Storm #Malik is severe,” the First Minister said.

“Power companies working hard to restore supply ASAP but many SSEN customers, esp in (north east) may be without power over weekend.

“Importance of welfare support and good communication stressed.”

As of 10pm on Saturday, 23,000 households across the north and north-east of Scotland were without power, with SSEN saying attempts to reconnect them would be “likely to extend across multiple days” with customers being told to consider making “alternative arrangements”.

The agency said it had moved to “red alert status”, with director of distribution system operations Richard Gough saying: “Whilst our teams have made good progress and have restored power to the majority of customers affected by Storm Malik, due to the extent of damage caused, alongside the likely impact of Storm Corrie, we expect the full restoration of customer supplies from both storms to extend across multiple days.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said in a statement on Saturday up to 20,000 customers could be without power overnight.

“The Scottish Government’s resilience committee will continue to monitor the situation overnight and into tomorrow, and keep Ministers fully updated,” he added.

“We will remain in close contact with local authorities and the emergency services to ensure people in the affected areas receive the latest information, advice and support where needed.”

Meanwhile, police, firefighters and the local council have evacuated people from their homes in Glasgow over fears high wind may damage a historic building.

An “exclusion zone” has been set up around Old Trinity College, in the Park Circus area of the city, and the surrounding area over worries that existing structural issues may be exacerbated by Storm Malik, which has seen winds of more than 100mph reported in parts of Scotland.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council told the PA news agency residents can expect to be out of their homes for “considerably longer than 24 hours”, although he would not be drawn on how long.

The building and surrounding homes have been evacuated (John Linton/PA)

A rest centre has been set up at the nearby Kelvin Hall to help those who have been affected.

The council spokesman said: “There’s three towers on the building… the condition of that had deteriorated to the point where the owner’s contractors and our building standards team thought immediate evacuation was necessary.

“As it stands, those residents who are needing support are directed to the rest centre at the Kelvin Hall.”

He added: “Residents are likely to be out for some time.”

When pressed on how long that could mean, the spokesman said it would be “considerably longer than 24 hours”.

It is understood the owners of the building were seeking to address cracks that already existed in the building’s towers before the storm hit.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Around 12.55pm on Saturday 29 January 2022, police assistance was sought from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to assist with traffic management at Lynedoch Street, Glasgow (near Park Circus).

“The Fire Service is currently dealing with an unsafe structure and officers are in attendance due to several roads being closed. A number of properties are also being evacuated.”

The fire service confirmed two appliances had been sent to the scene.

Police were called to the building last year – which was previously used as a training school for Church of Scotland ministers – when stone fell from one of the towers, according to the Glasgow Times.