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North-east residents left days without power during Storm Babet

It was a reminder of Storm Arwen for some households.

Anne Farquharson standing at front door of house.
Anne Farquharson told The P&J that she is used to power cuts. Image: Chris Cromar/DC Thomson.

A number of communities across the north-east have been left without power for days as a result of Storm Babet.

Homes near Maryfield Wood in Aberdeenshire, which is about seven miles from Banchory, on South Deeside Road, was one area severely affected.

The area was hit badly by Storm Arwen in November 2021, with some households being stranded without it for a number of weeks.

One local, Anne Farquharson, experienced significant power cuts for three weeks during that storm.

Residents well prepared

And Storm Babet left her without power once more.

Mrs Farquharson told The P&J she manages to get by and said because it tends to hit her home so frequently, she has become “used to it”.

She has a “little wee gas portable thing”, which allows her to heat water and have a water bottle.

Fallen trees lying on road.
Fallen trees impacted power lines during Storm Arwen, which led to many residents being without power for weeks. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson.

Emily Archer, who lives nearby, said her home’s power was out for about 24 hours – before being fixed by Scottish Southern and Electricity Networks.

Describing what it was like to go for a full day without power, Mrs Archer said it is “as good as it’s been”, especially after going without it for about a week during Storm Arwen.

‘Everybody seems OK’

She added: “It was fine, we have other places to go, so we can quickly escape. But I think everybody else seems OK.”

Thousands of properties across the north-east lost power after Storm Babet hit, however, these have now been restored.

It was so bad that SSEN deployed welfare vans in four locations across Aberdeenshire, which were Aberlour, Alford, Drumoak and Stonehaven respectively.

SSEN has confirmed customers impacted by power cuts – for more than 12 hours – are entitled to £30 per person for every day without power to cover the cost of food and drink.

Affected households should keep hold of receipts and claim costs back at the electricity firm’s website, whilst there is further compensation for those without power for more than 48 hours.

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