High winds bring death and destruction to Scotland

WINDS of up to 150mph swept across parts of Scotland yesterday, leaving one man dead, thousands of homes without power and bringing road, rail and ferry networks to a halt as the country was hit by an unseasonal blast of severe weather.

Felled power lines and trees blocked train tracks and major roads. Ferry operator Calmac cancelled more than half of its services in the islands, while others experienced serious delays.

Edinburgh Zoo and the city's Royal Botanic Garden - as well as a large number of National Trust properties - were on a long list of places and buildings forced to close due to the high winds, while commuters found their routes home blocked as the Forth and Tay road bridges closed to all traffic.

A man in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire died after a tree fell on his car yesterday afternoon. Firefighters spent several hours trying to free the 36-year-old, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the height of the storm around 50,000 properties across the country were left without power. Northern areas of Scotland were the worst hit, with 30,000 homes suffering power cuts due to falling trees and debris hitting power lines. Many properties in Inverness were without electricity for several hours.

And in the southern and central regions, a further 20,000 properties were without power at the peak of the winds.

Last night, there was further chaos after trains were cancelled and the main bus station in Edinburgh was closed. Waverley Station was also shut after debris fell on to the tracks, while the M9 was closed for a number of hours.

Transport minister Keith Brown called an emergency meeting of the Scottish Government's resilience team.

The highest wind speed was recorded in the Cairngorms, but gales were reported in built-up areas in the Central Belt. Gusts reached 84mph on Edinburgh's Blackford Hill and 69mph in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.

ScotRail cancelled almost all of its services yesterday afternoon, while all other major train operators announced severe delays. During rush hour last night, just four train routes were still in operation in Scotland.

• 'This kind of pattern is not normal for this time of year'