A landslip near Invergarry has wiped out the power supply to thousands of islanders this morning in the Hebrides.
Residents on Skye and the Western Isles experienced the loss of power shortly after 9am. Power has since been restored to some properties on Skye; however, some island schools have had to close due to the issue.
Attempts are being made by engineers of Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) to restore power to all of its 23,000 affected customers.
A SSEN spokeswoman said: “SSEN is progressing with efforts to restore power to customers in the Western Isles and on Skye affected by a fault on its transmission network this morning.
“As of 2pm, power has been restored to 18,000 homes with engineers working to reconnect the remaining 5,000 homes in North Skye and parts of Tarbert through the course of this afternoon. Welfare facilities offering free food and drinks have been set up in Jansvans cafe in Portree and Uig Village Hall in Uig.
“SSEN received reports of the fault shortly after 9am and immediately started carrying out investigations. This included the deployment of a helicopter patrol, which identified damage to the overhead line network caused by a landslip in the area to the west of Invergarry. A team is currently on site to assess impact and options for repair.
“Whilst this repair is ongoing, power supplies are being restored through alternative means. This includes re-routing supplies from other parts of the network, utilising back-up power stations and the deployment of mobile generation.
“SSEN is contacting customers who are on its Priority Service Register to offer help and support and would encourage anyone who may have concerns or require extra assistance to call the power cut helpline, 105.”
All three schools in Portree on Skye have closed with Portree High School issuing information to parents via Facebook.
The statement reads: “Portree High School is going to close due to lack of power. Buses have been called to take pupils home but parent/guardians can come and collect their child from the school directly.”