Storm Damage: UK Grid Operators Report 90,000 Customers Still Dark
Energy Networks Association cites consecutive storms and sustained 85mph gusts as primary obstacles to restoring service in northern regions.
By Samir Doyle ·
Britain’s energy grid faces a second wave of severe weather while recovery crews work to reconnect nearly 90,000 customers in the north.
The Energy Networks Association reported the figure on Monday morning, representing a subset of the approximately 700,000 customers who lost power over the weekend.
Lawrence Slade, the association’s chief executive, stated that the rapid succession of Storms Austen and Boelo complicated repair efforts.
Slade told BBC Radio 4 that the lack of a weather break prevented engineers from safely replacing poles and rewiring lines.
Wind speeds reached 50 to 70 miles per hour in many areas, with gusts of 85 miles per hour recorded in northern Scotland.
The Met Office issued two yellow weather warnings for the coming hours.
The first warning covers western coastal areas from Cornwall to south-west Scotland from 6:00 p.m. Monday until 3:00 a.m. Tuesday.
Forecasters expect gusts up to 65 miles per hour and heavy rain in those exposed coastal zones.
A second warning applies to most of Scotland from 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials anticipate widespread winds of 50 to 60 miles per hour, with gusts reaching 70 miles per hour in the far north.
The storms killed two people during the weekend.
A 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway was struck by a falling tree, and a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London, authorities said on Monday morning data release day context implies recent reporting but text says weekend events reported now. Actually text says "The weekend storms led to two deaths". I will stick to the facts provided in the source text regarding the deaths occurring during the storm events reported on Monday/weekend context. Let's refine: The source says "The weekend storms led to two deaths.. A 60-year-old man was hit.. while a man in his 20s died..". I will state they died during the weekend storms as reported by authorities on Monday. Wait, source says "The weekend storms led to two deaths, authorities said." It does not explicitly say authorities said it on Monday, just that it is a fact. I will write: Authorities confirmed that the weekend storms resulted in two fatalities. A 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway was killed by a falling tree, and a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London.
