Storm Ali kills two in chaos
GLASGOW faced severe transport disruption and homes were left without power as Storm Ali battered the UK leaving two people dead.
ScottishPower said 58,000 homes had no electricity, while SSE said 13,000 had experienced cuts.
Most trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh were suspended, while airport passengers faced delays.
GLASGOW was blown into a state of chaos yesterday as Storm Ali swept across the country.
Fallen trees brought danger and misery to the roads while train services ground to a halt amid 72mph winds and lashing rain.
Emergency services and council workers were called to a number of roads blocked by fallen greenery across the city.
Residents reported roads blocked across the city, from Milton in the north to Mosspark in the south, and in Clydebank, Maryhill, Kelvinbridge and Hyndland in the west to Dennistoun in the East End.
Cathedral Street was closed between Montrose Street and North Hanover Street due to debris falling from a nearby building.
Commuters faced disruption as all services from Glasgow Central and Queen Street High Level were suspended due to multiple obstructions on the lines and overhead wire damage.
ScotRail advised customers to avoid travelling if possible while the Amber warning remained in place.
Queues of over an hour were reported at Buchanan Bus Station as workers attempted to make their way home.
ScotRail advised customers that all tickets and Smartcards could be used on First Glasgow/East, McGill’s, JMB, Whitelaws, Edinburgh Trams, CityLink between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Lothian Buses, Stagecoach East, Citylink GlasgowOban, Citylink Glasgow-Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen and Borders Buses. Greenock Town Hall offered shelter from the storm for passengers and crew of the cruise ship Nautica, which slipped its moorings in high winds.
They were expected to be back on board by last night.
Footage of the extreme weather was shared by shocked residents across Glasgow.
One hard-to-believe video showed a waterfall blowing uphill as Storm Ali battered Scotland.
The waterfall, on the Campsie Fells hill range near Glasgow, appeared to defy gravity as the water was blown against the rolling hills.
Alan Douglas, 59, spotted the unusual sight and said he had never seen anything like it before.
He said: “I was in the bedroom looking out and I
just happened to see it. It is very unusual.
“I’ve seen it on the other side of the Campsie hills once before.”
The waterfall is set just above Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire, where the dad-of-one has lived for 25 years.
Mr Douglas, a window cleaner, said: “It went on for about an hour.
“If the conditions are right, maybe water can flow uphill – if the wind is strong enough!”
The waterfall is part of a 300ft stream which ends in a steep drop.
Mr Douglas added that Storm Ali had torn down nearby trees and left a massive trail of destruction in its wake.
He went on: “It has calmed down a bit now.
“There was a lot of damage to trees, with some big ones torn down.”