Thousands without power after 'weather bomb' hits UK

Almost 30,000 households were still without electricity last night as Scotland counted the cost of the storm that brought chaos and some of the strongest winds on record.

The ferocious storm, designated a "weather bomb" by meteorologists, is estimated to have cost the economy £100m through lost revenue and production while repairs to damaged infrastructure are likely to add millions more.

Electricity providers have reconnected 75,000 of at least 105,000 households that were cut off by damaged power cables, but some people are likely to remain without electricity until at least tomorrow despite 1,300 engineers being mobilised.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's Deputy First Minister, said: "Contractors are working hard to resolve remaining issues with power supplies and on our transport network in difficult conditions."

Freezing temperatures were expected across much of the UK last night, with people in most eastern parts waking up to frost and up to two inches of snow falling in the Scottish Highlands. The Met Office issued warnings for snow, blizzards and ice across Orkney, Shetland, the Highlands and Grampian last night but conditions are expected to ease today, especially this evening.

By tomorrow, northern Britain can expect a comparatively gentle 6C or 7C while southern parts should reach 10C.

For many struggling businesses, however, the loss of revenue caused by the impact of the storm could force them into closure, warned analysts from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Pubs, restaurants, hotels, shops and haulage companies were among the worst hit with customers staying at home while roads were shut.

Caroline Roxburgh, PwC's head of private business in Scotland, said that much of the lost productivity can be made up, but not all: "For some Scottish businesses, the losses they experience will be permanent. If someone has cancelled a restaurant booking or not gone to the theatre or the cinema then that money will be lost. Retailers who are already facing arguably the toughest trading conditions in recent history will be particularly badly hit, as Christmas shoppers stay home at the most profitable time of the year."

At sea, an operation was under way to secure two oil storage vessels that lost tension in their anchors because of storm-force winds more than 100 miles from the Aberdeen coast. One of eight anchors securing the Apollo Spirit, holding 96,300 tonnes of crude oil, failed but the vessel stayed in position.

The Banff, holding 4,400 tonnes shifted up to 250 metres but was said last night to have been stabilised after half of its 10 anchors slipped. All 67 people on board were said to be safe with no reports of oil leaking into the sea.

Many schools stayed shut for a second day yesterday, including all schools in Orkney, Caithness and the north coast of Sutherland in the Highlands, plus 14 in Aberdeenshire. There was widespread disruption on the roads, with fallen trees and power lines among the biggest problems. The Traffic Scotland website clocked up a record 24 million hits during the day.

Five hill-walkers who went missing for days in the Cairngorms were found safe and sound after a major search and rescue operation. The missing men had not been seen since leaving the Spittal of Glen Muick on Wednesday.

And a ring-tailed lemur was found with hypothermia on Tooting Common in south London. It is now recovering at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London, where staff have named it King Julien, after the lemur in animated movie Madagascar.