Around 1,500 properties will be without electricity until Friday because of Storm Gerrit, as workers continue to restore power to those affected.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that by 4.45pm on Thursday it had restored power to more than 40,000 customers, with just over 2,900 still cut off.

The company expects around 1,400 more will have their power restored before Friday.

The remaining 1,500 are mainly in the north east of Scotland and the Shetland Islands.

By 4.45pm on Thursday, there were 618 properties without power in Argyll and the West Highlands, 377 in the Highlands, 1,080 in the north east, 365 in Shetland, and 464 in Tayside and Central Scotland.

SSEN said customer service teams are contacting affected customers to provide estimates of power restoration times and to check on their wellbeing.

Welfare vans serving free hot food and drink remain open until 8pm on Thursday while work continues.

The vans are in:

– Riggs car park, Fort Augustus, PH32 4DF
– Glengarry Parish Church, Invergarry, PH35 4HJ
– Dunecht Village Hall, Westhill, AB32 7AW
– Hatton of Fintray, Aberdeenshire, AB21 0YG
– The Square, Tarland, AB34 4YL
– Bellabeg, Strathdon (opposite the local shop), AB36 8UL
– The Public Hall, High Street, Sandhaven, Fraserburgh, AB43 7EQ
– Aberlour Parish Church car park, 7 Victoria Terrace, AB38 9PW
– Car park beside the football pitch, Halkirk, KW12 6YJ
– Bridge of Cally Village Hall, Braemar Road, PH10 7JL

The vans will reopen from 9am on Friday.

Andy Smith, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said: “We’ve made the most of a lull in the stormy weather today to get thousands of our customers reconnected.

“This has been a difficult couple of days for the communities affected, and I’m grateful to them for their patience and support as our teams work extremely hard to restore power.

“We’ve targeted our restoration plan on repairing the faults that will reconnect the greatest number of customers, and those who have been without power the longest.

“Where there are complex repairs or very localised faults, we expect around 1,500 homes will be without power until Friday. I’d like to reassure our customers that all our resources have been made available for this final push.

“Our established welfare policy is active, offering reimbursement for meals and accommodation, for those who’re eligible, and we’re speaking to our most vulnerable customers to offer them tailored support.

“Anyone who may need additional help or advice should contact our dedicated teams on the power cut helpline, 105.”

SSEN said its workers have faced wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.

WEATHER Gerrit
(PA Graphics)

The conditions also disrupted travel, with some drivers trapped for hours on the A9 which was closed at Drumotcher in the Highlands due to snow.

The road has since reopened, including a section further north at Scrabster which had been blocked by fallen trees.

The A82 between Spean Bridge and Invergarry has also reopened, but the road between Invergarry and Invermoriston remains closed.

The A96 at Huntly, Aberdeenshire, is also closed.

Some rail routes have reopened after safety checks, though others will remain closed for the rest of Thursday.

The Inverness-Aberdeen, Helensburgh-Balloch and Dumbarton-Damuir routes have fully reopened.

Cupar-Dundee and Kilmarnock-Dumfries services remain out of action for the day.

Stein Connelly, head of transport resilience at Transport Scotland, urged people to plan ahead when travelling.

He said: “It’s been an extremely challenging period for the transport network. The partnership response to Storm Gerrit continues and our trunk road operating companies are working hard to open roads as soon as possible.

“On the A96 at Huntly, the road remains closed in both directions due to flooding, with teams continuing to work to clear the water this morning.

“The weather has improved and the Met Office warnings have ended, but people may still encounter difficult driving conditions due to surface water and flooding.

“We continue to ask people to plan ahead, to drive appropriately and to take care out on the road network.

“Public transport services remain impacted, so please check with your transport operator across all modes to understand if your service has been cancelled or delayed.”

Ferry operator CalMac announced a series of cancellations, delays and time changes to a number of services on Thursday and Friday.

Routes affected include Ardrossan-Brodick and Fionnphort-Iona.

Passengers are advised to check for updates on CalMac’s X account.