Scotland's weather: Power cut impacts much of the east coast

There are reports of power cuts in numerous areas of the east coast as extreme winds batter Scotland.

About 25,000 homes in Scotland are currently without power.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said the worst affected areas were Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Doune, Dunblane and Kircaldy all reported power cuts as a result of the storm, as well as in parts of East Lothian with further reports of building damage including at Dunbar High Street

There are reports of numerous homes without power

One resident in Dunblane told The Scotsman that their power went out just after 8pm and that others had reported similar issues in Mutihill, Doune and Muckhart, with much of the area in total darkness.

Residents received a message from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks reading: Good Evening. This is a message from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. We are calling to let you know that you may be experiencing a loss of electricity to your home. Our engineers are on their way to begin investigations and we expect the majority of customers' power to be restored by midnight. We will keep you updated until your power is restored.“

Earlier today Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said that 5’000 of their northern customers had been left without power.

There are reports of numerous homes without power. Via Powertrack.co.uk

An SSEN spokeswoman told The Press and Journal: “We’re well resourced so all of those power cuts are being addressed.

“We’ve got around 430 field staff in place at the moment, and they’re in the right place at the right time to deal with the areas we knew were going to be worst affected.”

The Met Office has upgraded the Storm Arwen weather warnings to include a “rare” red warning of wind.

It warns that high winds associated with the storm will bring damage and travel disruption to parts of north-east Scotland and north-east England.

The warning, which is valid from 3pm on Friday until 2am on Saturday, warns people to expect “flying debris resulting in danger to life”, and potential damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.