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Thousands of households left without power as Storm Malik brings chaos to the north and north-east

Daniele Yates is pictured navigating her way back from the shops after a tree fell at Huntly Castle.
Daniele Yates is pictured navigating her way back from the shops after a tree fell at Huntly Castle.

Thousands of homes across the north and north-east have been left without power today as Storm Malik causes widespread disruption.

More than 40,000 households across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Inverness, Skye and the Western Isles have reported a loss of supply as gale force winds sweep the north.

Engineers from SSEN are currently battling to restore power to customers across more than 140 postcode areas.

Supermarkets in Inverurie have been forced to close their doors to customers as a result of the blackout.

Meanwhile, staff at Alastrean Care Home in Tarland have been appealing for the public’s help after being left without power in the wake of the storm.

Food trucks are now being deployed by SSEN community to the most affected areas to assist people who are currently offline.

Leisure facilities are also being opened up by local authorities to provide adequate wash facilities.

The electricity network has been inundated with reports of blackouts throughout the day.

Richard Gough, director of distribution system operations at SSEN, said: “Our teams continue to respond to the impact of Storm Malik, which has resulted in widespread damage to electricity infrastructure across the north of Scotland.”

The Met Office issued weather warnings for wind impacting the whole of mainland Scotland.

North-east communities have endured the worst of the conditions with an amber warning imposed on the area until 3pm.

A 60-year-old woman from Aberdeen died suddenly this morning, becoming the first confirmed victim of the storm.

A yellow warning was put in place for Moray and the whole of the Highlands and Islands region with forecasters warning of potential disruption to travel.

Residents in Shetland are also enduring the harsh conditions, with a yellow warning for wind remaining in place across the island until 8pm.

Winds of up to 150mph have been recorded at the summit of Cairngorm Mountain.

Meanwhile, in South Uist, residents have been enduring winds of up to 79mph as fellow islanders in Orkney faced similar conditions, with wind speeds reaching highs of 77mph.

Disruption on the roads

Motorists have been forced to endure a host of delays and disruption on the roads as Strom Malik rages on.

A section of the A96 was closed in both directions for some time due to an unsafe building.

The Inverness to Aberdeen trunk road was closed at Huntly, at its junction with the A97.

The A96 trunk road was closed in both directions at its junction with the A97 over concerns for the roof of a local petrol station.

It is understood the closure was prompted by concerns for a damaged roof at a local petrol station.

The road has now reopened.

Drivers were also being advised to take care on the A947 Aberdeen to Banff road due to a low hanging tree, south of Plaidy.

Trees have fallen down on the grounds surrounding Huntly Castle.

The roads and ground surrounding Huntly Castle have been left strewn with fallen trees as high winds batter the north-east town.

In the Highlands, the A833 Drumnadrochit to Beauly road remains blocked in both directions due to a fallen tree. Highland Council workers were at the scene working to remove the debris.

Motorists travelling on the A86 Spean Bridge to Kingussie road were facing similar disruption as a result of a fallen tree. The road has now reopened.

The A9 northbound was also partially blocked as a result of fallen debris.

The Inverness to Thurso trunk road was blocked for some time near North Kessock, resulting in lengthy tail backs across the Kessock Bridge.

Bus passengers have also been feeling the strain today as transport operators cancel service due to the forecast.

In Aberdeen, Stagecoach Bluebird axed a number of timetabled services onboard the number 35 bus due to the forecast.

Stagecoach Highland were also forced to take similar action suspending all services in Orkney for the duration of the morning.

A number of bus services in Shetland have also been suspended due to the increasing intensity of the winds.

Shetland Islands Council have withdrawn the number six, nine, 21 and 23 services.

Various other services across the region have been subject to delay or cancellation due to road closures and the weather conditions.

Rail network grinds to a halt

Rail services in the north and north-east have been hampered by the weather conditions, with dozens of services cancelled. 

Rail bosses have suspended all services on the Highland Main line, Far North line and West Highland line due to debris on the line.

Trains service between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, Inverness and Aberdeen and Aberdeen and the central belt have been axed due to the conditions.

LNER officials are calling on commuters to refrain from travelling north of Edinburgh due to significant disruption across the network.

The Aberdeen to Perth rail line was also blocked today due to a trampoline on the line.

Scotrail has confirmed that it will be terminating train journeys early on Sunday evening due to the arrival of Storm Corrie.

Disruption to flights and ferry services

NorthLink Ferries have taken the decision to suspend services crossing the Pentland Firth due to the adverse weather conditions.

All sailings onboard M.V Hamnavoe have been cancelled for the remainder of he day due to the conditions.

Freight vessel services between Aberdeen, Lerwick and Kirkwall have also been called off due to the strong winds.

CalMac have also been forced to cancel crossing across their network in response to the worsening weather conditions.

On the west coast, services to Tobermory and Kilchoan have been cancelled for the duration of the day as crossing to Ardmhor to Eriskay remain suspended.

Ferry crossings servicing Oban and Lismore have also been subject to cancellation or delay as a result of the adverse weather.

Some flights departing from or arriving at Aberdeen Airport were also cancelled due to the weather.

Scheduled journeys to London Heathrow this morning and in the early afternoon did not go ahead.

The 13.55 flight from London to Aberdeen was cancelled, but the 16.00 flight was able to travel safely.