John Swinney calls for Storm Éowyn 'patience' as clear-up operation continues
John Swinney has appealed for the "patience" from the public as work continues to restore power supplies and transport services in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.
People across Scotland were urged to stay indoors on Friday to avoid injury as hurricane-force winds of up to 100mph swept across the country, as a rare Met Office red weather warning was in force during the day.
Thousands were left without power, with several road closures and widespread disruption to rail, air and ferry travel.
Work is underway to clear up after the storm, but thousands of people remain without power and there is ongoing disruption to public transport services.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed around 20,000 customers were still affected as of 11.30am, but nearly 70,000 had been reconnected.
Trains were initially due to resume at 12pm on Saturday, but this was pushed back to allow Network Rail to deal with 400 "incidents of damage on the railways" caused by the high winds.
READ MORE: Storm Éowyn in Scotland LIVE: Some trains return after almost 400 incidents on tracks
ScotRail has confirmed that eight services will be back in operation during the afternoon, including Perth to Inverness, and Dundee to Aberdeen.
The inclement weather is likely to continue, with new yellow weather warnings for wind, snow and ice in place over Saturday and Sunday.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the First Minister asked for "patience" while the work to restore services affected by the storm was carried out.
He said: "After the significant impact of Storm Éowyn, work is underway to restore power supplies and transport networks. It will take some time to complete and I appeal for the patience of the public. Power company staff and our public servants are working at speed to restore services".
Ministers have also thanked those involved in repairing the damage. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the advice not to travel had been lifted but that people should remain "vigilant" for disruption.
She said: "With some yellow weather warnings still in place and the clear-up operation ongoing, I am asking people to remain vigilant for disruption.
"Teams across the network will continue working tirelessly as we move throughout the weekend towards the Monday commute.
"On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to express our thanks for their incredible continued efforts. We stand ready to assist local authorities where we can and would urge the public to remain cautious, plan ahead, and check before travelling."
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