The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Storm Ali clean-up under way after high winds cause chaos
Businesses forced to close in order to repair damage caused by storm
Fife and Tayside were counting the cost of Storm Ali yesterday as clean-up operations swung into action.
The storm caused devastation on Wednesday as winds in excess of 102mph battered parts of the east coast while eight flood warnings remained in place across Tayside yesterday.
In Dundee, the historic conservatory at Turriff’s Garden Centre and Farm Shop, which dates back to 1865, was smashed on Wednesday.
Owner Ross Turriff, 48, said: “It was a busy day clearing up broken glass and a few damaged items, but with the hard work of our staff and some good local businesses we’ve managed to make it ready to open today.
“It’s a B-listed building as it’s so old, so it will take it a while to get it back to its former glory, but we have made it safe, wind-proof and patched it up so will be ready to reopen.
“We’ve had some bad storms in our time here, but that was a bad one and the winds were wild.”
He added: “It’s good that we haven’t had to close too long as we head into the busy Halloween and Christmas periods.”
Perth Road was also open as normal after part of the street was closed when masonry fell from a chimney stack during Wednesday’s high winds.
In Fife, a large number of trees were toppled including Madras College’s historic chestnut tree, which stood near the grounds of the former Dominican friary in St Andrews.
Police also urged members of the public to take care walking on the Old Course as the blustery conditions continued after tents erected for the forthcoming Alfred Dunhill Links Championship were blown over during the storm.
Most roads and rail routes were back up and running as normal after significant disruption seen on Wednesday. However, there were delays and cancellations on the early morning Fife Circle rail services after a train struck an overhanging tree.
Fife Council’s trading standards’ service urged people to use reputable traders to fix any storm-related property damage, adding that people should be vigilant against cold callers or rogue businesses in the wake of the storm.
Engineers were out in force across Perthshire yesterday, clearing up damage caused by Storm Ali.
Several roads were kept closed overnight on Wednesday as crews battled to clear fallen trees and debris from the carriageways.
Perth Leisure Pool reopened at 3pm, after a series of checks on the building.
The venue closed suddenly at the height of the storm, amid concerns for possible damage caused to the roof by gale force winds.
Mill Street in the city centre, which was locked down on Wednesday afternoon, was declared safe and reopened at 9.30am.
Perth and Kinross Council took the decision to close the thoroughfare after locals raised the alarm about flashing on the Premier Inn roof, which was seen flapping violently in the wind.
A spokesman for the hotel said: “We have taken expert advice and confirmed there are no safety risks. There was very minor damage to the roof and engineers were called to the site to fix it.”