Power Operators Restore 700,000 UK Customers After Storms Austen and Boelo

Households in northern Britain were still waiting for electricity on Monday after a weekend of storms, with the Energy Networks Association reporting 90,000 customers cut off. Operators had restored power to roughly 700,000 customers over the prior three days. Two men died when trees fell during the weather: a 60-year-old in Dumfries and Galloway, and a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London.

Storms Austen and Boelo struck the UK over the weekend, bringing flooding, travel delays and cancelled events. Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Friday through Sunday were particularly difficult to work through. He said the speed at which Boelo followed Austen complicated the response. "It certainly was a tough one. One of the problems was how quickly Boelo followed after Austen."

Sustained winds of 50 to 70mph, reaching 85mph in northern Scotland, kept repair crews off the network. Slade said engineers could not safely replace poles or restring wires until the weather system cleared. Wind also shut the Sunday racing at Aintree and diverted flights from Leeds Bradford airport; some flights were cancelled. Train operators reported services returning to normal and asked passengers to check schedules before travelling.

Flooding hit several coastal communities. Video from Largs showed water running through the town centre, and a resident there said the level was the highest she had seen in 36 years. Staff at the Tha-Tien-Thai restaurant posted footage of their kitchen under water with the caption "There is nothing left," and said the doors would stay shut for the foreseeable future "due to larger flood restoration than originally planned." Police Scotland responded to a flooded care home in Saltcoats on Sunday evening and said everyone inside was accounted for.

Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, met politicians, emergency teams and forecasters on Sunday to review the response. On Monday he posted on X: "My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two people who have tragically lost their lives as a result of Storm Boelo. My thoughts are with all those affected by the damage and I thank the emergency services working through the night to keep people safe."

The Met Office issued two yellow warnings for Tuesday. The first runs from 6pm Monday to 3am Tuesday across western coasts from Cornwall to south-west Scotland, with gusts to 65mph and heavy rain. The second covers most of Scotland from 3am to 9pm Tuesday, forecasting 50 to 60mph winds, gusts to 70mph in the far north, and possible travel cancellations, road closures and additional power cuts.