Disruption from Storm Gerrit continues as thousands still without power
Storm Gerrit continues to wreak havoc across parts of the UK, ITV News' Ben Chapman reports
Disruption from Storm Gerrit has continued into Thursday with thousands of homes still without power in Scotland.
Parts of the country experienced significant heavy snow on Wednesday, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.
High winds, heavy rain and snow damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines, while there was damage to property by strong gusts in Greater Manchester.
SSEN said power had been restored to some 34,000 properties, while a further 7,000 were without power on Thursday morning.
Director of corporate affairs Graeme Keddie told BBC Radio Scotland: "Many of those are in the north-east and Shetland which saw later impact into yesterday afternoon and evening, and that will be very much our priority through the course of today.
"One of the main impacts we've seen is around access to faults - so blocked roads, flooding in fields, and issues with snow.
"We're very hopeful that that will ease today but that has meant our teams on the ground have been saying that [in] the time it’d take to fix two or three faults they have only been able to fix one, but we are hopeful of further progress today as weather conditions have eased."
He added that power may not be restored for some customers until Friday, particularly those who live in heavily affected or rural areas.
Police Scotland confirmed the A9 has fully reopened in both directions and is "passable with care" after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie in the Highlands.
Rail cancellations and delays
Scotland's rail network experienced widespread cancellations and delays, with a train driver's cabin hit by a falling tree.
Aslef Scotland confirmed the driver was uninjured and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said passengers were also unharmed.
ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, impacting trains travelling while other lines saw their timetables shelved until "a full inspection can be carried out" on the railway network.
Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, also advised customers not to travel due to the weather.
Customers stranded by the disruption were told to book hotels which they can claim back.
Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the West Coast Main Line, said its route to Scotland is impassable with all services to and from London terminating at Preston.
Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow can board trains on Thursday or Friday, the operator said.
Disruption in England
A "localised tornado" is believed to have caused "significant damage" to around 100 homes in Greater Manchester.
"Numerous reports" were made to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at around 11.45pm on Wednesday, and the force declared a major incident due to the "severity" of the damage caused and the potential risk to public safety.
No injuries were reported but many residents were forced to leave their homes.
Tameside Council said approximately 100 properties were evacuated after the "mini tornado" hit areas of Carrbrook and Millbrook.
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said a detailed site investigation would need to be undertaken before it can confirm the damage was caused by a rare British tornado.
Ferry operator DFDS said its sailings between Dover and France are delayed due to strong winds in the Channel. Passengers are being advised to check in as normal and are being put onto the first available sailing.
Heathrow Airport cancelled 18 flights on Wednesday due to air traffic control restrictions including routes from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester as well as to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris.
Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain gauge at the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recording 80mm - nearly half the usual 178mm monthly rainfall for December, the Met Office said.
The fastest recorded wind gusts so far are 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales, the forecaster said.
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