John Swinney urges Scots not to travel while red weather warning in place as 11 HGVs overturned
John Swinney has urged Scots not to travel while the red weather warning for Storm Éowyn remains in place, with multiple lorries being overturned by strong winds.
The First Minister said "a high level of vigilance" would still be required on Friday evening and Saturday morning as wind speeds finally ease.
And Swinney warned "too many lorries are still on the road" with HGV drivers choosing to ignore police advice not to travel this afternoon. At least 11 lorries have been tipped over by the wind so far, cops said.
The SNP leader spoke out today following a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR), which is co-ordinating the response to the damage and disruption caused by Storm Éowyn north of the Border.
An estimated 100,000 households across the country are currently without power as a result of storm damage.
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The country also faces severe transport disruption with rail, bus, flight, ferry and tram cancellations as well as road closures across the network.
Swinney said: "Storm Éowyn is an exceptional weather event and is causing significant impacts across Scotland, with multiple reports of fallen trees and blown over vehicles.
"Even once the red weather warning expires, severe weather warnings for wind, snow and ice remain in place across much of the country tonight and into tomorrow morning.
"A high level of vigilance is still required. There are still too many lorries on the road and I urge all HGVs to follow Police Scotland advice not to travel during the red weather warning.
"We are also seeing reports of multiple power outages across Scotland and expect these to continue over the course of the day. It will take time to recover power and transport services across the country, as conditions still remain too dangerous for recovery teams to operate.
"Utilities companies are focused on supporting their most vulnerable customers and I’d encourage everyone to please look out for each other and take extra care during this time."
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland, who is leading the multi-agency response to Storm Eowyn, said: "It is concerning that there has been a large number of HGVs on the road.
"We have responded to 11 incidents so far where HGVs have overturned due to high winds and I want to reiterate the advice that you should not travel in or to areas under the red weather warning.
"Additionally, I would urge the public to avoid travelling in areas affected by the Amber warning and consider delaying your travel until conditions improve. We don’t ask you to do this lightly and we make this ask with public safety at the forefront of decision-making.
“Roads are likely to be affected by debris for some time to come and motorists should drive with caution when it is safe to return to the roads.”
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