A clean-up operation is under way in parts of the UK after Storm Boelo caused flooding and property damage, leaving thousands without power. The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said around 22,600 properties were still without power as of Monday afternoon. Two men were killed by falling trees during the storm on Sunday – a man in his 20s whose car was hit in north London and a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway identified as Richard Baines, the long-serving curator of Logan Botanic Garden. A yellow warning for strong winds came in effect at 18:00 on Monday across the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland and eastern parts of Northern Ireland and will last until 03:00 on Tuesday.
The Met Office has warned that further power cuts in areas covered by the warning are likely and people should make sure they have essentials prepared, including torches and batteries. Coastal communities could also be affected by spray or large waves, while travel delays are expected. Boelo is the second storm to have hit parts of the UK in recent days, following Storm Austen. Leo Slade, CEO of the ENA said it had been “a tough weekend” and that efforts to reconnect some properties were being hampered by the weather, with sustained winds of 50-85mph across parts of Scotland and northern England.
“Until that weather system passes, we can’t safely get engineers out to replace poles, to get wires back up, so today is going to be a hive of activity in getting engineers out into the field,” Slade told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He stressed that the UK’s power network was very resilient and money was spent to prepare for these sorts of scenarios, but said a debate was needed over how much more investment was required to mitigate for further storms brought by climate change. Storm Boelo clears but more wind and rain bears down on UK Marcus Reed, the operations director at a home fragrance manufacturer, said his factory and shop in Lyndal, Cumbria would be without power until Tuesday evening. He told the Today programme that he has had to turn away employees and customers.
“To lose two days manufacturing and distribution is going to be really disruptive,” he said, adding that it was bad timing as it was “the busiest time of the year” for his business in the lead-up to Christmas. “This is probably the worst situation I’ve experienced in my time here; we’ve had ad hoc issues over weekends where we’ve lost power, but it’s been contained within a 12-hour period. It’s the first time anything like this has happened, it’s very serious.” Wendy McKinney, whose bathroom shop in the seaside town of Largs in North Ayrshire was flooded on Sunday, told the Today programme the storm had been “devastating to local businesses”. She said the local council only handed out sandbags after flooding had already started:”[They] were just left in the middle of the street yesterday afternoon on pallets just for everybody just to try and help themselves, but it was too little too late.” North Ayrshire Council told the BBC that it had distributed almost 300 sandbags in Largs and Saltcoats and would continue to “respond where it has been safe and appropriate to do so”.
A spokesperson said council teams “followed established resilience procedures” but would review flooding reports and “consider any lessons that can be learned”. Disruption to travel continued on Monday, and some schools in Scotland were shut either due to lack of power, heating, water or damage. Another yellow warning of wind, external has been issued by the Met Office, covering much of Scotland, as well as parts of northern England and Northern Ireland from 03:00 to 23:59 on Tuesday. Monday morning saw rain in many parts of south-west England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which moved north-eastwards reaching central, eastern and northern England, as well as most of Scotland, by around lunchtime.
The weather is expected to turn windier overnight as the area of low pressure passes close to Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland with gusts peaking on Tuesday. Additional reporting by Ben Rich, lead weather presenter. Have you been affected by the storm? Share your experience Two men killed by falling trees as Storm Boelo leaves 90,000 properties without power Thousands still without power after Storm Boelo batters Scotland
