Storm Boelo Leaves 90,000 Without Power as New Wind Warning Issued

A clean-up operation is under way in parts of the UK after Storm Boelo caused flooding and property damage. Thousands of people are without power.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said around 90,000 properties were still without power as of Monday.

Two men were killed by falling trees during the storm on Sunday. One was a man in his 20s in north London. The other was a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway.

New weather warnings

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for strong winds. It runs from 18:00 on Monday to 03:00 on Tuesday across the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland, and eastern parts of Northern Ireland.

A further yellow warning takes effect from 03:00 across northern parts of Scotland.

The Met Office has warned that further power cuts are likely in areas covered by the warning. People are advised to prepare essentials, including torches and batteries.

Coastal communities could be affected by spray or large waves. Travel delays are also expected.

Second storm in days

Boelo is the second storm to hit parts of the UK in recent days. It follows Storm Austen, which caused similar levels of disruption.

Leo Slade, chief executive of the ENA, said it had been “a tough weekend.” He said efforts to reconnect some properties were being hampered by the weather. Sustained winds of 50 to 85mph were recorded across parts of Scotland and northern England.

“Until that weather system passes, we can’t safely get engineers out to replace poles, to get wires back up, so today is going to be a hive of activity in getting engineers out into the field,” Slade told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said the UK’s power network is very resilient and that money is spent to prepare for such scenarios. He added that a debate is needed on how much more investment is required to mitigate further storms brought by climate change.

Impact on homes and businesses

Homeowners and local businesses are among those affected by the power cuts.

Marcus Reed, operations director at home fragrance manufacturer Wax Lyrical, said his factory and shop in Lyndal, Cumbria, would be without power until Tuesday evening. He said he has had to turn away employees and customers.

“To lose two days manufacturing and distribution is going to be really disruptive,” he said. He added that the timing was bad, as it is “the busiest time of the year” for his business in the lead-up to Christmas.

“This is probably the worst situation I’ve experienced in my time here,” he said. “We’ve had ad hoc issues over weekends where we’ve lost power, but it’s been contained within a 12-hour period. It’s the first time anything like this has happened, it’s very serious.”

On Sunday, a man in his 20s was pronounced dead in north London after the car he was driving was hit by a falling tree. Hours later, a 60-year-old man died in Dumfries and Galloway, in western Scotland.

Travel and services

Travel disruption continued on Monday. Some schools in Scotland were shut due to a lack of power, heating or water, or because of damage.

The Met Office has issued another weather warning for later this week. The yellow wind warning covers much of Scotland, as well as parts of northern England and Northern Ireland, from 03:00 to 23:59 on Tuesday.

In Scotland, Network Rail said the Crianlarich to Oban and Inverness to Wick and Thurso lines remained closed. Work to restore them is ongoing.

ScotRail said the “vast majority” of its services were running as normal.

West coast ferry operator CalMac said some services could be cancelled at short notice. Passengers on NorthLink Ferries were advised of the “possibility of disruption” to services until Thursday.

Forecast

Monday morning will bring rain to many parts of south-west England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will move quickly north-eastwards, reaching central, eastern and northern England, as well as most of Scotland, by around lunchtime.

Winds will strengthen throughout Monday and become windier overnight as the low-pressure area passes close to Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland. Gusts are expected to peak on Tuesday.

Showers are forecast for Wednesday. Conditions are expected to calm midweek, and most places will be dry by the end of the day.