Storm Arwen: Government accused of 'abandoning' rural areas

Thousands of people in the rural north-east of Scotland are still without power in their homes following the storm
Thousands of people in the rural north-east of Scotland are still without power in their homes following the storm

The government has been accused of 'abandoning' rural communities following Storm Arwen, as homes and businesses are still without power days after.

Thousands of people in the rural north-east of Scotland are still without power in their homes after the winter storm, which hit the UK on Friday 26 November.

Energy provider SSEN said that as of Tuesday evening, power had returned to more than 118,000 homes and businesses, but 9,500 remained without.

SSEN, which distributes power to 3.7 million homes, said Storm Arwen was ' at least three times greater' than 2018's Beast from the East storm.

Reports from farmers in these areas indicate that the damage to some businesses is substantial, with many are still waiting on roads to open and power to be restored.

The Liberal Democrats have demanded that the government provide emergency support to farmers, businesses and the general public in these rural communities.

The party warned that rural areas were being taken for granted and "abandoned by the government in their time of need."

Communities Spokesperson Tim Farron MP, who used to lead the party, criticised the government for failing to make an official ministerial statement on the issue.

His letter calls for ministers to step in and provide food, emergency accommodation and other essential supplies to vulnerable people on the ground impacted by the storm.

The letter also urges the armed forces to be brought in to provide emergency electricity generators to communities until power is restored.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling for new rules requiring electricity firms to prioritise investing some of their profits into local power networks, to help prevent outages in future.

The letter states that it is “frankly unacceptable” that people are being left for days without electricity.

The plans would require electricity providers to restore electricity to homes as soon as possible when power cuts do occur, or face fines from the regulator Ofgem.

Mr Farron said: “It is a disgrace that families in rural areas have been abandoned by the government for days following Storm Arwen.

"Ministers need to urgently step up and provide emergency support to those impacted, while taking action to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“People in our rural communities are fed up with being taken for granted and left without proper support when things go wrong."

He added: “We are calling for strict new rules that would force electricity providers to invest more in local power networks, with a duty to restore electricity as soon as possible when power cuts do happen.”

Farmers needing any help or assistance following the storm are being encouraged to contact Scotland's rural charity RSABI on 0300 111 4166, open from 7am until 11pm.