70,000 without power, all Scotrail services suspended and electricity blackouts
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THE Kessock Bridge northbound has now reopened after being closed by severe gales which struck overnight.
The bridge remained open to vehicles heading southbound while Bear Scotland dealt with a fallen tree blocking the northbound carriageway.
Further afield the Skye and Dornoch Bridges were also closed to all vehicles, although these have now re-opened to all but high sided vehicles.
Many places are also reporting power outages, with the Black Isle sitting in darkness this morning when viewed from Inverness.
The communites of Inverarnie, Farr and Drumnadrochit were still without power this morning and many telephone lines were down.The A82 was closed for a period due to fallen trees and the road to Cannich was also shut.
The traffic lights at Lovat Bridge, outside Beauly are also off.
Inverness Fire and Rescue were kept busy overnight due to fallen trees, and are currently attending an incident in Balnafoich, after trees fell onto a power line and caught fire. Fire officers have also been making buildings throughout the night after several roofs threatened to collapse in Inverness.
Energy giant SSE's online power cut tracker was also reporting dozens of separate incidents this morning, with at least 18 separate outages reported in The Inverness Courier catchment area. In total, around 73,000 homes in the Highlands and Islands are reported to be without power. 9,200 homes are without power in Inverness-shire. Click https://www.ssepd.co.uk/Powertrack/ for the latest updates.
All Scotrail services across the region were also suspended this morning, while checks for fallen trees and other damage were carried out.
A Scotrail spokesman warned rail passengers to expect disruption on some services until at least 4pm, and no alternative transport is being provided due to the severity of the storm.
"Due to the severity of the overnight storm, all ScotRail services are currently suspended to allow Network Rail to check the lines are safe for trains to run," they said.
"At present we are advising customers NOT to try to travel by train. Thank you for your understanding. We are working with Network Rail to re-open lines as soon as we can.
"Customers with tickets already purchased for travel on the 9th January may use tickets on the 10th January (if the line has re-opened) or at a future date if that suits you better," they added.
The 7.55am East Coast service from Inverness to London Kings Cross will also be starting at Perth. A bus replacement service will instead run from Inverness to Edinburgh calling at all scheduled stations.
The National Rail enquiries website was reporting that East Coast was not planning any further alterations to services but that alterations and cancellations could take place at short notice as the storm develops.
Several local schools were also closed. Highland Council's severe weather page was reporting closures to primary schools in Cromarty, Culbokie and Strathdearn. Smithton Primary was also affected but expected to open just an hour later than normal. Click www.highland.gov.uk for the latest.
Police are advising that conditions for travel in the Highlands and Islands areas are hazardous and caution should be exercised as there are high possibilities of road closures due to fallen trees and debris.
They are recommending travel along causeways or low lying coastal roads is not recommended.
Multi-agency partners in the Highlands and Islands are working together to minimise any impact caused by power outages and loss of landline telephone services. Partner agencies would also encourage members of the local community to check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbours to ensure they have all the necessary provisions required.
For updates on weather alerts, travel and flood warnings the public are advised to listen to local radio and to visit the following websites for the most up to date information:
Met Office - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/
Scottish and Southern Power Distribution - https://www.ssepd.co.uk/Powertrack/
Traffic Scotland - http://trafficscotland.org/
Scotrail - http://www.scotrail.co.uk/disruption-news
Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries - http://status.calmac.info/service-status.aspx
Northlink Ferries - http://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/opsnews/
Go to www.scotrail.co.uk for the latest updates on Scotrail services and
http://trafficscotland.org/currentincidents/ for the latest on Scotland's roads.
School closures can be found on the council’s website at: www.highland.gov.uk/schoolclosures. The page is updated daily between the hours of 7am and 6pm.
