A 60-year-old man has died after being struck by a falling tree near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, as Storm Boelo brought high winds, heavy rain and widespread disruption across the UK.
The incident happened at about 10:30 GMT on a minor road at Mid Kelton. Police Scotland said the man was pronounced dead at the scene and that there were no suspicious circumstances. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
More than 160,000 properties remained without power at 15:00 GMT, according to the Energy Networks Association. The industry body said 838,700 properties across the UK had been affected by power cuts during Storm Boelo and Storm Austen, which hit at the end of the previous week.
Flooding and wind damage
Police Scotland said two women were taken to hospital after being injured by a falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross. Officers also evacuated dangerous buildings in Ayr and helped 15 people from a flooded caravan park in Ballantrae.
Flooding affected businesses in Dumbarton, where muddy water and debris were left across shops and cafés. Video from Largs showed water flowing through the town centre, while a yacht was washed ashore in Gourock.
In London, a section of scaffolding fell in Streatham, closing the high street and sending two people to hospital. Their injuries were not thought to be serious.
The highest wind gust recorded in Scotland was 85mph (137km/h) at Machrihanish, while 131mm of rain fell at Cluanie Inn in the Highlands. Gusts reached 78mph at Orlock Head in County Down and 84mph at Capel Curig in Conwy. White Barrow in Wiltshire recorded 115mm of rain.
Transport network affected
Fallen trees, flooding and damaged overhead lines caused disruption across the rail network. ScotRail said the “vast majority” of services were expected to run normally on Monday, but warned that several routes could remain affected, including services between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, Inverness and Thurso or Wick, Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William or Oban, and Ayr and Stranraer.
Network Rail said teams would continue working overnight to clear debris, repair overhead lines and deal with flooding and power cuts. ScotRail’s Mark Ilderton said: “We’re working closely with Network Rail to get these reopened as quickly as possible, but our priority remains the safety of our customers and staff, and trains will only resume when it is safe to do so.”
Several operators advised passengers not to travel on affected routes. Roads including sections of the A66, M8 and Forth Road Bridge were closed, while restrictions were imposed on high-sided vehicles using bridges including the Queensferry Crossing and Humber Bridge.
Flights were cancelled at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen and Leeds Bradford airports. Edinburgh Airport reported 81 cancellations and 11 diversions since weather warnings began on Saturday. Ferry services in the Irish Sea, including some Stena Line sailings between Belfast and Cairnryan, were also cancelled or rescheduled.
Warnings remain in place
Amber wind warnings remained in force across much of Scotland and parts of northern England until 21:00 GMT, alongside a wider yellow wind warning covering Scotland, northern England, parts of the Midlands and north Wales.
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland urged people to “remain focused and vigilant” and consider whether journeys were “really necessary”. He said disruption was likely to continue beyond the warning period because of poor weather, fallen trees and other storm damage.