Engineers working to restore power to homes after Storm Amy

Engineers are still working to restore power to homes left without electricity following Storm Amy.

About 8,500 properties remain disconnected three days after the first named storm of the season hit the country.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said power had been restored to about 80,000 properties since storm-force winds began on Friday.

SSEN said “several hundred” engineers would be working to reconnect affected homes on Monday.

The firm said a team of arborists were supporting engineers in clearing trees and debris felled by the winds.

Ross Easton, head of communications for SSEN, told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland he expected the majority of homes remaining without power to be reconnected by Monday evening.

He said those still waiting for power to be reinstated were in the path of the storm, between the Isle of Mull and the Great Glen.

Mr Easton said engineering teams had been drafted in from across the UK

More than £100m had been invested in the SSEN network to protect it from future storms, he added.

Mr Easton said: “Our own records show these storms are becoming more frequent and we have to work with our regulator Ofgem about the investment that is required going forward.

“Our focus today is getting those remaining customers reconnected as quickly as possible, keeping them informed and making sure they are looked after.”

Network Rail said trains between Fort William and Glasgow would not be able to run due to “external power supply issues,” while the Kyle and Wick lines also remain closed.

They said 30 trees had been brought down on a seven-mile stretch of the line and helicopters would be used to spot obstructions from the air.

ScotRail said a shuttle service would run between Inverness and Dingwall and urged passengers to check before setting off on their journeys.

The Tay Road Bridge was closed to double decker buses on Monday morning.

In Elgin, Moray Council said Portknockie Primary School was closed due to the energy supplier not being able to give a timescale for power to be restored.

Gusts of about 96mph were recorded in the Inner Hebrides during the peak of the storm.

The Met Office had put a yellow weather alert in place until midnight on Friday, while another for strong winds in the north east lasted until midday on Sunday.

Forecasters said Storm Amy had set a new record for the deepest area of low pressure – which can cause seriously unsettled conditions – in the UK in October.