FALLING TREES KILL TWO PEOPLE DURING STORM BOELO

Two men died after falling trees struck them during Storm Boelo on Sunday, according to police. Police Scotland said a tree struck one man on a minor road near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway at about 10.30am. The Met Police confirmed on Sunday evening that another tree fell onto a man’s car in north London, killing him. More than 160,000 homes initially lost power, while a later estimate put the number without electricity at around 82,000. The storm brought winds of more than 80mph to parts of the UK.

Police Scotland said of the Castle Douglas death: “There are no suspicious circumstances.” A falling tree also injured two women in Aberfeldy, who went to hospital for treatment. Police advised people to avoid Poplar Avenue near the bridge locally known as the Bouncy Bridge. In Scotland, flooding affected Largs and Saltcoats, while fallen trees blocked roads. The storm also disrupted railway services and prompted cancellations or diversions of flights and ferries.

The Met Office recorded gusts of 84mph in Argyll and Bute and warned of danger from flying debris and falling trees. Its amber wind warning covered Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England; Orkney remained under a yellow warning. Around 53,000 properties in Scotland lacked power, according to the reported outage figures, and engineers worked to restore supplies. The Scottish Government held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the disruption and restoration work. Further travel disruption was expected on Monday.