Drivers injured and power outages as Storm Iovine hits Scotland

Drivers were injured, buildings were damaged and thousands of homes lost power as Storm Eovine swept across Scotland.

One person was seriously injured in a single-vehicle collision in Mauchline, East Ayrshire, at around 07:10 on Friday, while another person was injured when a van collided with a fallen tree in Glasgow at around 09:00 .

About 117,000 homes are currently without electricity, while many transport services are suspended.

The red weather warning for areas of central, southern and western Scotland ended at 17:00, but the amber wind warning is still in place on Friday evening.

Police Scotland said officers had responded to almost 1,600 incidents related to the story by 18:00.

Authorities were also called when a 49-year-old man was found unconscious and dead on a road in Irvine, North Ayrshire, but the incident was not believed to be weather-related.

The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room met at 13:30 on Friday to assess the situation.

First Minister John Swinney later said utility companies were working quickly to restore power as quickly as possible.

But he said there were “still a lot of lorries on the road” and urged HGV drivers to heed police warnings not to travel.

A gust of 100.7 mph was officially recorded in Drumalbin, South Lanarkshire, while a gust of 102 mph was recorded at Tay Road Bridge.

People have been urged not to leave their homes due to the danger of flying debris, coastal collapse, trees falling and buildings being damaged.

Transport Scotland said the M9 was closed in both directions between J8 and 9 due to numerous fallen trees.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes urged people to take precautions on Friday evening as the red wind warning was downgraded to amber.

he told BBC Radio Scotland drivetime The amber warning was “still serious” and road users should heed police advice which continues to warn against travelling.

Ms Forbes also said emergency services should not be put at risk as it emerged that officers responded to at least 11 incidents of lorries overturned due to high winds.

The Deputy First Minister also said at the event that no employer should pressure employees to ignore police advice.

Forecasters issued a rare red warning ahead of Iovine’s arrival and predicted the storm could hit Most destructive in Scotland’s central belt in 13 years,

The full extent of the damage is still being assessed but there are many reports of damaged buildings and infrastructure.

ScotRail said customers should not expect any trains to operate before 12:00 on Saturday.

The train operator said items found on the line included a trampoline, a sofa, shed roofs and wheelie bins.

Ferry operator CalMac said services would be suspended until at least 10:00 pm during a safety inspection.

The back of a Co-op store collapsed in Denny’s, near Falkirk, but there were no reports of injuries.

Celtic Park was damaged during the storm and an inspection will be carried out in the morning to determine whether the club’s Scottish Premiership match against Dundee can go ahead.

In Inverclyde, parts of the roof of Greenock Morton Football Club’s Capillo ground have been torn off by the storm, while in Helensburgh the roof of a leisure center has also been damaged by the high winds.

Meanwhile, a 400-year-old tree belonging to Mary Queen of Scots in Glasgow has also been seriously damaged.

Many of the branches on the Darnley Sycamore – it is said that it was here that Mary Stuart nursed Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley back to health after a long illness – were blown over during high winds.

Police in Edinburgh have warned residents not to leave their homes and inspect damaged buildings due to the risk of further falling debris.

SP Energy Networks confirmed that its engineers were working to restore power to 68,000 customers.

Power company SSEN said it had restored services to more than 30,000 households, but a total of 48,940 households were without power as of 17:45.

Forth Valley Royal Hospital was also affected by a short power outage, during which it used a back-up generator, but the problem has now been resolved.

Ferries, flights and rail services were cancelled, while police launched a dedicated operation to assist stranded lorry drivers after being booked at sea crossings.

Police Scotland said the A1 was closed between Spotts roundabout and Cockburnspath due to “a number of overturned vehicles”.

Sepa issued several flood warnings for Teesside as well as from Ayr to Troon.

Network Rail, which has responsibility for railway lines and stations, said its engineers would be working around the clock until Saturday.

Inspections were taking place as winds subsided, but warnings were made that significant repair work would be required before trains could run again.

Network Rail Scotland route director, Ross Moran, said: “This storm has caused widespread damage across Scotland’s railways, with trees fallen on track and overhead power lines and also damage to stations and other structures.”

Edinburgh Airport suspended all flights for the duration of the red weather warning, and warned of continued disruption on Friday evening.

Earlier in the day a flight from London Stansted attempted to land several times before abandoning its approach and diverting to Cologne, Germany, about 762 miles (1,226 km) away.

Glasgow Airport operated a limited service, while a handful of flights from Aberdeen Airport – which faced an amber warning – were cancelled.

While red weather warnings for areas of central, southern and western Scotland ended at 17:00, amber and yellow wind warnings will continue until midnight.

An amber warning for wind for northern Scotland will remain in place until Saturday morning.

A yellow warning was also issued for snow which will affect the northern mainland and central belt until Saturday morning.

Snow will be mainly confined to higher ground above 200 metres, but accumulations of up to 5 cm can be expected.

BBC Scotland weather presenter Judith Ralston said a storm of this severity was a very rare event.

“This is an intense storm – once in a generation, if not rare,” he said.