Killer storm: Boy, 9, among victims
● 3 die including Scots woman hit by tree, as well as trucker ● Chaos across country with winds reaching up to 147mph ● 65,000 homes blacked out – and it may get even worse today
THREE people were killed yesterday – including a nine-year-old boy – as Storm Malik wreaked havoc across the UK.
Tragedy struck as parts of the country were hit by gusts of more than 100mph.
A woman was killed in Aberdeen after she was struck by a tree and a lorry driver died in Lanarkshire after the gales overturned his vehicle and sent it crashing through the central reservation of a motorway – while south of the Border, a schoolboy was also killed by a falling tree.
Across Scotland, tens of thousands of homes were left without power as electricity cables were torn down by the storm.
With weathermen recording gusts of up to 147mph on mountain-tops, large parts of the country were paralysed as trains and ferry services were cancelled.
Meanwhile, road networks were hit with motorways at a standstill and thoroughfares blocked by trees and debris.
Last night, forecasters warned of further disruption to come with the arrival of Storm Corrie, with one predicting ‘dangerous conditions’ today.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who chaired a Scottish Government resilience meeting yesterday, described the impact of Storm Malik as ‘severe’ but said the effects of Storm Corrie could be even greater.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘Unfortunately as Malik subsides, Storm Corrie is about to hit from late afternoon and may be more severe for parts of Scotland, for example, Highlands, Grampian and Tayside, than anticipated.’
Amid yesterday’s treacherous conditions, transport networks were paralysed with parts of the North and East of the country among those worst hit. Around 200 train services were cancelled as road and rail networks were badly affected by the high winds and flying debris.
A gust of 147mph was recorded on Cairngorm Summit, while the highest windspeed recorded by the Met Office in an area of population in Scotland was 85mph at Inverbervie, in Kincardineshire.
Last night, Staffordshire Police confirmed a schoolboy had died and a man was in hospital after a tree fell on them in Winnothdale.
‘Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical staff, a nine-year-old boy passed away,’ a spokesman said.
‘The boy’s family are being supported by specially-trained officers. The man remains in hospital.’
Police Scotland, meanwhile, confirmed a 60-year-old woman had been killed by a tree that had been uprooted in Aberdeen, and that a 32-year-old lorry driver died when his vehicle crashed on the M74.
The damage which the storm brought to power networks saw almost 65,000 households without electricity from Aberdeenshire to the Borders yesterday after ‘significant damage’ to infrastructure.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said the network had been severely affected with lines damaged by trees. Up to 20,000 were without power overnight. It was anticipated yesterday that SSEN would deploy food trucks to affected areas.
SP Energy Networks said it had drafted in engineers from England and Wales to assist with repairs.
Craig Arthur, SP distribution director, said: ‘Our teams of engineers are on hand 24/7 and will come out to your area as quickly as possible in the event of power outages, so the sooner we know about a power cut, the more quickly we can begin work to get electricity restored.’
In addition to the crash on the M74, Scotland’s other main road south to England, the A1, was also shut in both directions yesterday, while the Tay Road Bridge was closed to traffic, which was diverted through Perth, and the Queensferry Crossing and Friarton Bridge were closed to high-sided vehicles.
In Dalkeith, Midlothian, a line of cars was damaged when a wall collapsed into a car park.
An unsafe building in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, forced the closure of the A96 in both directions near its junction with the A97.
A car was crushed by a fallen tree in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, while police said main and minor roads there and in Moray were closed at various points due to fallen trees and other debris.
The force urged people to avoid travel on the roads unless it was ‘absolutely essential’.
Rail services were suspended on
‘Boy’s family are being supported by officers’
the Dundee to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Inverness lines, as well as the Far North, Kyle of Lochalsh and West Highland Lines, while there were speed restrictions in place on the East Coast mainline.
A trampoline blown onto the line near Cove, Aberdeen, brought further disruption.
A ScotRail spokesman said: ‘Some services are experiencing cancellations or delays as trees and other debris have been blown onto the tracks. We’re advising customers who need to travel to check their journey on our app or website before they travel.’
Liam Sumpter, Network Rail’s route director for Scotland, said: ‘We have teams in place across the country ready to react quickly to cut back trees and repair any damage caused by the weather.’
Ferries were cancelled by CalMac between Ardrossan and Brodick, Claonaig and Tarbert to Lochranza, Oban to Coll and Tiree and Mallaig to Armadale, Oban and the Small Isles, while NorthLink Ferries cancelled all of its sailings on the Pentland Firth. A small number of flights were affected, including Loganair’s Edinburgh to Kirkwall service and two morning flights from Glasgow to Benbecula and Tiree.
Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: ‘The Met Office is warning us that Storm Malik will bring strong winds across Scotland this weekend.
‘There is the potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, so I’m urging people to plan their journey before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice.’
The storm also led to the cancellation of several football matches including Aberdeen v St Johnstone and Dundee v St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.
Named by the Danish Meteorological Institute, Storm Malik brought widespread gusts across Scotland, with the UK ‘dealt a glancing blow’ as the storm made its way towards Denmark. Forecaster Marco Petagna said: ‘We are seeing some dangerous conditions with potential to cause damage.
‘There will follow further winds and some frost overnight and then another storm coming in, named Storm Corrie. It will stay unsettled beyond that, with the conditions expected to be wet and windy into Monday and Tuesday and a risk of some further gales.’
‘We have teams in place to react quickly’