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

About 90,000 properties in northern Britain were still without power on Monday morning after Storms Austen and Boelo swept the country over the weekend. The Energy Networks Association said network operators had restored electricity to about 700,000 customers during the two storms.

Two men died after being struck by falling trees. Police identified them as a 60-year-old in Dumfries and Galloway and a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London. Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, offered condolences to the families in a post on X.

Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Friday, Saturday and Sunday had been particularly difficult. "It certainly was a tough one. One of the problems was how quickly Boelo followed after Austen," he said. Gusts reached 50 to 70mph across many areas and rose to 85mph in northern Scotland.

Slade said crews could not safely replace poles or hang wires while the storm system remained active. "Until that weather system passes we can't safely get engineers out to replace poles, to get wires back up etc.," he said.

The Met Office issued two yellow warnings for the period. One covers western coasts from Cornwall to south-west Scotland from 6pm Monday until 3am Tuesday, with gusts up to 65mph expected. A second covers most of Scotland from 3am to 9pm Tuesday, forecasting winds of 50 to 60mph with gusts up to 70mph in the far north.

Floodwater moved through Largs town centre, and a resident told reporters it was the highest level she had seen in 36 years. Police Scotland said everyone at a flooded care home in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, was accounted for, and officers remained on site overnight.

Leeds Bradford airport diverted some flights and cancelled others. Racing at Aintree was called off Sunday because of wind, and most train services had returned to normal, though operators asked passengers to check schedules before travelling.