Storm Ashley batters Scotland as flights, trains & ferries axed amid wind chaos

STORM Ashley sparked transport chaos after hitting planes, trains automobiles… and ferries.

Rail services were halted by flooding and trampolines blown onto the tracks and ferry timetables were turned red by a swathe of cancellations on the west coast.

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Disruption from the 80mph tempest is expected to continue into tomorrow morning, affecting back-to-school plans for thousands of pupils following the traditional October holiday.

Meanwhile, for others, today turned into a sunny afternoon. One person remarked: “It was Ashley quite a nice day.”

Dozens of flights in and out of Scottish airports were cancelled, to places such as Belfast and Derry in Northern Ireland, Dublin, London, Newquay, Florence and Scottish islands like Tiree and Orkney.

Fortunately, by mid-afternoon, there were no reports of power cuts though SSE Energy and Scottish Power teams remained on standby for outages.

Ashley was actually two storms in one, starting with 50-60mph gusts in the morning, followed by even more powerful wind speeds in the evening and overnight.

The morning storm took out almost every crossing on the Cal Mac route on the west coast but NorthLink Ferries managed to maintain services with the Northern Isles, by tweaking timetables to accommodate the conditions.

Network Rail posted pictures on X of lines blocked by trampolines, trees and broken branches. The mainline between Aberdeen and Stonehaven was shut for a while in the afternoon due to flooding, though services were later allowed to re-start.

A combination of high tides and waves over-topping sea defences at Saltcoats In Ayrshire forced Scotrail to suspend trains on the electrified line to Glasgow.

Warnings of 80mph winds in the second wave of winds later in the evening also prompted speed restrictions on rail routes in the worst-affected areas.

From 4pm, trains were slowed in the west and north highlands, Ayrshire and Stranraer and, from 5pm, on the route from Perth to Inverness.

Inspections have been ordered on the wider rail network tomorrow morning to ensure they are clear of debris which may have landed during the night.

An inspection will also take place this morning on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll, shut on Friday over fears heavy rain could spark landslides.

Traffic was re-routed along the Old Military Road at the foot of Glen Croe for the duration of the weekend.

Winds caused restrictions on the Clackmannanshire Bridge, Erskine Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and Skye Bridge and drivers on the Dornoch Bridge were advised to travel with caution.

The Met Office has extended Storm Ashley warnings into Monday morning when she could still hit speeds of 70mph in the north and east of Scotland.

Forecasters say more strong winds are expected later this week.