Scotland left counting the cost of the gales: £100m

Senior News Reporter

Saturday 10 December 2011

NEARLY 30,000 households were still without power last night as the big clear-up got under way across Scotland after the fiercest storms in 25 years.

GALE FORCE: Winds ripped off the roof of a house in Kincorth, Aberdeen. Falling rubble then crushed a car, inset. Tenants were evacuated from the building during the storm. Far left, workmen clear a road near Inverkeithing after a tree fell on it; left, a team of engineers repair power lines near Morton Lochs, Tayport. Main image: Hemedia

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MARTIN WILLIAMS

Specialists were working through the night to try and restore electricity to homes as it emerged that the day of hurricane-force winds could cost the country around £100 million.

Yesterday, as the winds eased and the worst weather was confined to the north-east of Scotland and the Shetland Islands, the Met Office produced new severe weather warnings – this time about ice on roads covering most of mainland Scotland and the islands.

Analysts from professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the lost revenue caused by winter weather could push already struggling businesses over the edge.Early closures, blocked roads, power outages and employees staying at home caused a drop in both revenue and productivity.PwC said pub, restaurant and hotel owners, retailers and hauliers were particularly hard-hit by yesterday's storms.Its £100m figure is based on previous research which suggests that, for every day the UK grinds to a halt, the economic loss is £1 billion a day – around £100m in Scotland.PwC's head of private business in Scotland, Caroline Roxburgh, said: "In the past, harsh winters tended to impact on manufacturers but were compensated for elsewhere in the economy. Historic data also suggests that even in extreme weather, much of the productivity lost is actually made up fairly soon after."For some Scottish businesses however, the losses they experience will be permanent. If someone has cancelled a restaurant booking or not gone to the theatre or the cinema then that money will be lost."While 30,000 homes were left without power yesterday, it is estimated that 120,000 Scottish households have been affected by power cuts since the gusts of up to 165mph swept across Scotland on Wednesday.There were 110 incidents across Scotland's roads, including fallen trees and power lines, the recovery of seven HGVs, 24 cases of flooding, and landslips.The Scottish Government was unable to say how many casualties were caused by the storms, but the Scottish Ambulance Service said it dealt with 100 calls directly attributable to the severe weather. The worst affected areas for power disruption were Argyll, where 11,000 households were still without power yesterday, and Tayside, where 10,000 were affected.It was expected that the vast majority of customers will have their electricity supply restored overnight, although companies warned that some customers in outlying areas could still be without power today.A Scottish Hydro spokeswoman said: "Nearly 800 engineers began working in difficult conditions at 6am yesterday morning to restore electricity supplies to over 70,000 customers, and that number has now been reduced to 29,000. Access to many parts of the country continues to be hampered by roads blocked by trees and other wind-borne debris."Following a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "While work is still ongoing to deal with the aftermath of the storm, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved so far, from emergency response teams, transport authorities and local council staff who have worked very hard in responding to the many challenges the storm has brought, to the public who took heed of the advice and information from police and travel authorities."Glasgow and Edinburgh airports were open yesterday, but warned of delays and cancellations. ScotRail services were subject to delays, with cancellations expected on routes between Inverness and Aberdeen, Gourock and Glasgow Central, and Oban and Fort William to Glasgow Queen Street.Northern Constabulary said conditions had improved across the Western Isles and the Highlands, but many roads are still blocked by fallen trees and surface water.Severe weather in Orkney has caused widespread damage and flooding. The B9047 South Walls road on Hoy island is closed at the causeway and several areas are without power. All schools in Orkney, Caithness and the north coast of Sutherland in the Highlands were shut.In Aberdeenshire, 14 schools closed, and some schools in Angus, Argyll and Bute, Shetland, Stirling and the Western Isles had power failures.The area also has problems with telephone networks and internet connections.The Association of British Insurers said it was "too soon" to calculate the cost of the storms.Meanwhile, the Scottish SPCA reported a rise in the number of seal pups injured in the storms. The charity said it has had to rescue 34 seals this November, up 50% since last year.

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Scotland left counting the cost of the gales: £100m

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