Homes without power in Shetland as temperature hits new low

About 3,800 homes are without powerfulness successful Shetland aft the islands were deed by dense snow.

The areas affected see Voe and Brae successful the northbound mainland on with the islands of Yell, Unst and Whalsay.

The bulk of faults person been caused by snowfall and crystal sticking to overhead powerfulness lines, causing them to fail.

Meanwhile the somesthesia dropped to -17.3C successful Braemar, Aberdeenshire, overnight connected the coldest nighttime of the twelvemonth truthful far.

In Shetland the wintry conditions besides caused problems connected the roads, with astir 40 vehicles stuck connected a elevation astatine Weisdale connected Monday afternoon.

Coastguard Rescue teams from Sumburgh, Lerwick, Walls, Hillswick and Mid Yell utilized their 4x4 vehicles to cheque connected stranded motorists and instrumentality them to information if necessary.

It took astir 7 hours to determination them all, and to let Shetland Islands Council gritters to dainty the surface.

All schools and aboriginal learning mounting crossed the islands are closed, with the objection of those successful Fair Isle.

Several schools successful the Highland Council country are besides closed owed to the weather.

Graeme Keddie, of SSE Networks, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland the web successful Shetland had been damaged by utmost upwind connected Monday day and evening.

"We've reconnected astir 2,000 homes crossed Shetland but astir 3,800 stay without power. Some of them were connected past nighttime but further harm has been reported." helium said.

"Our teams are doing each they tin to reconstruct powerfulness arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. At archetypal airy our teams volition beryllium retired assessing the harm and looking to mobilise operations arsenic rapidly arsenic possible."

A Met Office yellowish upwind informing for snowfall and crystal is successful spot crossed the northbound of Scotland, Shetland and Orkney until 12:00 connected Thursday.

Overnight a somesthesia of -15C was recorded astatine Balmoral, -14C astatine Aviemore, -13C astatine Dalwhinne and astatine Fyvie Castle it was -12C.

Forecasters accidental snowfall showers and icy surfaces volition bring immoderate question disruption.

Neil Hutchison, from Shetland Islands Council's roadworthy section said determination was not excessively overmuch snowfall overnight aft dense falls connected Monday afternoon.

"The archetypal happening we'll beryllium doing contiguous is clearing the main roads," helium said.

"That whitethorn instrumentality a spot of clip fixed the magnitude of snowfall connected them. And past of people we're moving connected to the broadside roads - that'll beryllium overmuch aboriginal successful the day, I'm afraid.

"I deliberation the main occupation is there's rather a batch of vehicles stuck successful assorted places connected the roadworthy web and that meant different vehicles weren't capable to get past.

"Once we got those cleared radical were capable to determination on. Unfortunately that took rather a portion - that took into the aboriginal evening successful immoderate places."

On Monday constabulary successful Shetland asked radical to debar travelling unless perfectly necessary.

More than 20 volunteers were called retired from coastguard teams based astatine Lerwick, Walls, Sumburgh and Hillswick.

They rescued a pistillate with learning difficulties aft her taxi became stranded connected the main A970 roadworthy betwixt Lerwick and the northbound eastbound of mainland.

They besides attended a fig of susceptible households which had mislaid power.