17,000 homes without power as 'the weather bomb' hits the UK

A ‘weather bomb’ powered by storm-forced winds hit Britain with 40ft waves and 80mph winds.

16:58 10 December 2014

More than 17,000 people in the UK currently do not have power as a ‘weather bomb’ bringing storm-forced winds and giant waves hit the country.

Scotland’s Western Isles are without power supply since 7am and engineers are working to restore it.

Meanwhile, a rescue operation was launched after reports confirmed that a Spanish fishing vessel was having difficulty in churning seas off Orkney. Shetland Coastguard later confirmed that none of the 16 crew suffered injuries. 

On the other hand, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have been warned of possible disruption and coastal flooding due to the severe weather.

Forecasters at the Met Office have predicted gusts of up to 80mph in exposed areas that could topple trees on to railways and power lines, rip roof tiles off and cause structural damage, as well as “exceptionally large waves” smashing into the western coastline.

Western and northern Scotland are covered by an amber warning while the rest of the country is currently covered by a yellow alert.

John Swinney, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, urged people across the country to heed travel and safety warnings.