Gales leave thousands without power

Severe gales and heavy rain
battered parts of Scotland on Wednesday, leaving thousands of
homes without power and closing roads, police and utility
companies said.
Winds gusting at up to 80mph (129 kph) blew down trees,
damaged power lines and toppled several trucks.
Power cuts hit about 20,000 houses served by ScottishPower
and Scottish and Southern Energy. Engineers will have to wait
for the winds to subside before starting repairs.
"The network is holding up extremely well. It has taken
quite a battering," said a Scottish and Southern spokeswoman.
The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for much of
Scotland, with strong winds, rain and blizzards in some areas.
Parts of the Highlands were expected to have 25 mm (one
inch) of rain in six hours, with up to 10 cm (3.9 inches) of
snow on higher ground.