Storm Bulow kills two, closes schools and cuts power across UK

Storm Bulow brings deaths and disruption

Storm Bulow, the second named storm of the season, left two men dead and caused widespread power cuts, flooding and travel disruption across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. It arrived a day after Storm Austin had battered south west England and the Channel Islands.

The first confirmed death was a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway. He was later named as Richard Baines, curator of Logan Botanic Garden near Stranraer. A man in his 20s also died after being hit by a falling tree in north London. Police Scotland confirmed the Scottish death, and colleagues paid tribute to Mr Baines.

Amber wind warnings covered much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. The Met Office warned of flying debris, damage to buildings, power cuts and a danger to life. Gusts reached 84 mph in exposed coastal areas, with 85 mph reported in some places. The amber warning for Scotland and northern England was due to last until 9pm on Sunday, while the Northern Ireland warning ended at 10am.

At the height of the disruption, more than 160,000 homes and businesses across Great Britain and Northern Ireland were without power. The Energy Networks Association said around 90,000 properties were still off supply at one stage, and engineers restored power to hundreds of thousands of customers. By the latest updates, around 22,000 properties remained without power, with some customers in Cumbria told restoration could take until Tuesday evening.

Travel was badly affected. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, including at Leeds Bradford, Exeter and Scottish airports. Ferry services across the Irish Sea and North Sea were suspended. Rail operators including ScotRail, Avanti West Coast and LNER advised passengers not to travel in affected areas, with speed restrictions and line closures. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and debris, and the A1 and A66 were among major routes affected.

Flooding hit coastal towns on the Ayrshire coast. Largs, Saltcoats and Dumbarton saw seawater and floodwater inundate high streets and businesses. In Largs, the high tide was reported to be about two metres higher than expected. A care home was surrounded by water, and residents and staff relied on escorted deliveries. Flood warnings and alerts remained in place in Scotland and England. In Belfast, the high street was underwater, and in Cumbria waves battered the coast.

Schools were closed or opened late in the Channel Islands during Storm Austin and again in parts of Scotland as high winds continued after Bulow, including the Western Isles, Highlands and Aberdeenshire. In Largs, the coastguard suspended a search for a man in his 20s thought to have been swept into the sea shortly after midnight. Police appealed for two witnesses seen in the area. The search involved coastguard and RNLI lifeboats.

The sequence began with Storm Austin, the first named storm of the season, which brought 84 mph gusts to Jersey Airport and caused power cuts, school closures and travel disruption in south west England, Wales and the Channel Islands. A section of Brighton's West Pier collapsed into the sea. Around 18,000 to 20,000 properties were affected in the south west, and the Met Office issued amber warnings for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.

The government used the storms to push its Be Ready campaign, urging households to keep three days of supplies such as bottled water, tinned food, a torch, a radio and cash. Ministers said the advice was about resilience rather than a specific threat. The storms also prompted warnings that the UK faces a winter of greater flooding and that infrastructure and flood defences need more investment.

More wet and windy weather was forecast, with yellow wind warnings for western parts of Britain and Northern Ireland overnight and for large parts of Scotland early in the week. Forecasters were watching another low pressure system that could bring further disruption, with some references to a possible Storm Chloe.