Power restored to all homes cut off by Storm Floris

The last of the homes in northern Scotland left without power due to Storm Floris have had their energy supplies restored.

Wind gusts of up to 90mph caused widespread disruption on Monday, leading to cancelled trains, flights and road closures.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said it had restored power to almost 72,000 households, with about 950 still cut off on Wednesday.

The firm said its repairs, hindered by fallen trees and considerable damage to overhead lines, had now been completed.

SSEN said customers without power for more than 12 hours were entitled to £30 per person for every day off supply, to cover the cost of food and drink.

Those eligible have been told to keep their receipts and claim costs back via the SSEN website.

Customers without power for more than 48 continuous hours are entitled to an initial payment of £85 and a further £45 for each continuous six-hour period that they did not have power thereafter.

These payments are issued automatically as cheques. Those eligible do not need to make a claim or contact SSEN, the firm said.

Andy Smith, SSEN distribution’s director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said: “Floris was an exceptional storm, which has called for an exceptional response from us.

“One thousand people have been working hard to reconnect homes and support customers, while a huge volume of network reconstruction has been done in challenging conditions.”

He thanked customers for their “patience and understanding”, adding: “Now supplies have been restored, I encourage those who lost power to take a look at the details of compensation that will be provided, and also to make a claim for reimbursement if they qualify.”