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Five days after last Monday’s widespread blackout, hundreds of homes on Shetland face remaining without power until early next week, as engineers battle difficult road and weather conditions.
The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network, which sent 125 emergency engineers, a convoy of 4x4s and mobile generators to Shetland this week, said it could take until at least Monday to restore supply to around 800 homes and businesses in the West Mainland .
His warning came as a large part of west central Scotland and parts of the southern Highlands were placed under an amber severe weather warning for snow until Friday afternoon, with forecasts that up to 20cm could fall on the ground. Is.
The Amber Alert was issued by the Met Office just before 5am and only an hour before it came into effect, leaving many commuters and commercial drivers little time to prepare.
Traffic agencies and police reported multiple collisions, multiple breakdowns and impassable roads before and during rush hour, including the closure of parts of the M8 east of Glasgow after a crash and vehicles stuck in snow near Inverare, Argyll report is included.
Police in Argyll and Kintyre west of Loch Lomond have advised all motorists to stay off the A83 and A85 There were reports of vehicles including an HGV getting stuck on trunk roads and the infamous due to heavy snowfall Rest and Be Thankful Stretch A83’s.
SSEN said that as of 10.45pm on Thursday, around 1,700 properties were still without power in the West Mainland, Wo and parts of Bray.
“Helicopter surveys and foot patrols have now provided engineers with a clear picture of the extent of the damage, enabling teams to make progress in dismantling the network and restoring the customer supply area,” the company said. “This work is essential to rebuilding the ‘backbone’ of the network.
“Subject to any unforeseen challenges, we expect continued progress over the next 48 hours and are targeting the restoration of a substantial amount of supply by Sunday.
“Given the extent of damage and access issues in the West Mainland, particularly west of Bixter, it is now anticipated that some properties in the region will be reconnected in the early part of next week. We are doing everything possible to improve it if we can.”
The Shetland Islands Council, SSEN, police and other agencies have set up 20 “warm hubs” to provide hot drinks, kitchen facilities, fuel, broadband connections and warm places for people without electricity.
Dr Susan Bowie, GP at Hilswick Surgery in north-west Mainland, told BBC Scotland they don’t have heating: “It’s very cold in surgery. You can’t stay in there for too long because your hands get too cold, But there has been a real community feeling about the situation.
“The roads are terrible but the workers have come, they have done their best. We are wearing coats, jumpers and woolens just to stay warm.”
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