News / Storm damage
EMERGENCY services in Shetland had an exceptionally busy Christmas as storm force winds battered the islands with gusts of around 100 mph.
There were no reports of injury but the list of damage to property is long. At the height of the storm on Christmas Day (Sunday) 5,500 households were without power.
Most customers had their power back the following day, but 50 households on the island of Yell had to wait until Tuesday afternoon before engineers from Scottish & Southern Energy were able to reconnect them. By that time they had been without electricity for 48 hours..
In Mossbank, the roof of a house was blown off. Fortunately, there was no one in at the time.
In Unst, 12 salmon cages full of fish were swept into the open sea from a site at the south end of the island between Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Sumburgh-based search and rescue helicopter located the cages on Tuesday afternoon drifting around 30 miles east of Unst.
Meanwhile, fire fighters had to secure the roof of a house with rope lines at Kirkdale, Walls, at 1.30pm on Christmas Day. They also assisted in securing properties in Brae and Scalloway where sections of roof had been blown away.
Fire services on the island of Skerries were called in the afternoon of Christmas Day to help pump dry a yacht that was taking in water while alongside West Pier.
Police said they have had 16 calls over the last two days regarding damage caused by the high winds. They included a large tree blown over in Scalloway, damage to roofs at Frakkafield and Weisdale, a trailer and a caravan blown into the road, damage to electricity poles and street lights and damage to vehicles and windows from blowing debris.
Meanwhile, a further power cut left 200 customers on the island of Bressay with electricity on Tuesday. They were reconnected this afternoon.
A Scottish & Southern Energy spokesman said that the network in Shetland had suffered extensive damage in the very high winds.
There are more gale force winds forecast for Wednesday but it looks as though the brunt of the storm will hit central Scotland rather than the northern isles.
Please send your weather pictures to news@shetnews.co.uk or text them to 07775 564513.
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