LISTEN: Huge Storm Sparks Major Disruption

Around 85,000 properties were left without power at the height of a storm which caused major disruption to the transport network.

ScotRail suspended all services for safety reasons for a time today after hurricane-force winds which brought gusts of up to 113mph battered the country.

Ferry services were subject to cancellations and several roads and bridges were closed, as were many schools.

A gust of 113mph was recorded at Stornoway on Lewis, the strongest gust since records at that site began in 1970, while a gust of 110mph was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.

Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) said 73,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm, with the Western Isles and rural areas the worst hit.

It mobilised 1,000 technical and support staff ahead of the severe weather, and since first light has restored power to 24,000 customers.

Rodney Grubb, SHEPD's head of operations, said: We are doing everything we possibly can to restore our customers' supplies. We apologise for the disruption and would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding.''

ScottishPower said 12,000 customers were off supply at the peak of the incident.

It reconnected around 6,000 properties overnight and said approximately 6,000 were without power this morning, with pockets of faults mainly across the central belt, from Ayrshire to Lanarkshire and across to the Lothians.

A spokesman for SP Energy Networks said: Our network area has experienced exceptionally high wind speeds across the night, and we are currently responding to pockets of faults across our network mainly in the central belt.

Wind speeds are still high, but we are assessing the damage and closely monitoring the network to allow us to plan repairs. We initiated our emergency action planning earlier this week, bringing in additional contractors and equipment.''

ScotRail said Network Rail would need to inspect rail lines across the network for damage this morning before allowing passengers to travel on routes.

Some services in central Scotland were restored from around 8am and a reduced service was restored between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley at around 9am, with trains every half-hour. Cross border trains were still running.

Our reporter Connor Gilles has been speaking to Nick King from Network Rail:

The Forth Road Bridge was closed to all vehicles after a van blew over just before 1am, reopening to cars at around 8am, while many roads around the country have been affected by fallen trees.

Police in Inverness said several roads and bridges, including the Skye Bridge and Dornoch Bridge, have been closed in northern Scotland. The Churchill Barriers in Orkney have been closed.

They said travel conditions in the Highlands and Islands are hazardous'', and advised against travelling along causeways or low-lying coastal roads.

The bad weather led to delays to CrossCountry trains running between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle, while in Kent a broken-down train at Westgate-On-Sea caused hold-ups to services between Margate and Chatham.

On the roads, high-sided vehicles were advised to avoid using the Ouse Bridge on the M62 in Yorkshire.

Police shut the A1 between Durham and Chester-le-Street in both directions after a lorry lost its load.

Flood warnings are in place in central and northern Scotland and all schools in the Western Isles and Orkney have been closed as a precaution, while Heriot Primary in Paisley, Renfrewshire, will be closed today as its roof has been damaged by the weather.

Several CalMac and NorthLink ferry services have been affected by disruption or cancellations.

The ferocious gales have been stirred up by an extra-powerful jet stream triggered by plunging temperatures in the United States hitting warmer air in the south.

Two fire crews were called to Mariscat Road on Glasgow's southside where the wind blew bits of roof off a housing block and on to the street.

The street has been cordoned off and firefighters are using an elevated platform to assess damage.

Stornoway Coastguard said they were called out with the council to help an 80-year-old woman whose window had blown in. In Inverness the Premier Inn hotel was evacuated after a gable wall collapsed. Fire crews were called to the scene just after 3am and helped with the evacuation. In Edinburgh part of Rose Street was closed after masonry fell from a building near the Roxburghe Hotel. Some roads around the capital were closed due to fallen trees.