A clean-up is under way after Storm Boelo, with a second death confirmed and businesses counting the cost of flooding and power cuts, as further wind warnings bring the risk of more disruption.
A man in his 20s died when a tree fell on his car in north London on Sunday. The 60-year-old man killed by a falling tree near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway has been named as Richard Baines, the long-serving curator of Logan Botanic Garden.
The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said around 22,600 properties were still without power on Monday afternoon, down from 161,400 on Sunday. Across Storms Austen and Boelo, 838,700 properties have been affected by power cuts.
ENA chief executive Leo Slade said reconnection was being slowed by sustained winds of 50mph to 85mph in parts of Scotland and northern England, which made it unsafe for engineers to replace poles and lines. He said the network was resilient, but that a debate was needed over how much more investment is required as climate change brings more storms.
Further disruption is likely. A yellow wind warning covered western coasts of England, Wales and Scotland and eastern Northern Ireland from Monday evening, and another covers much of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland throughout Tuesday. The Met Office has warned of further power cuts and travel delays.
The storm has hit businesses at a difficult time. A home fragrance manufacturer in Cumbria expects its factory and shop to be without power until Tuesday evening. Its operations director said losing two days of manufacturing and distribution in the run-up to Christmas, its busiest period, would be very disruptive.
In Largs, North Ayrshire, flooding damaged town-centre businesses on Sunday. One shop owner described the storm as devastating for local businesses and criticised the council for handing out sandbags only after flooding had started. North Ayrshire Council said it had distributed almost 300 sandbags in Largs and Saltcoats, followed established procedures, and would review what lessons could be learned.
The storms arrived as storm claims season begins. Aviva said last week that storms account for a fifth of all its home insurance claims, with 84% of storm claims occurring between October and March, peaking in February. Its data, covering 2022 to 2025, shows damage is typically caused by loose roof tiles, fallen trees and broken windows.
No insurer or ABI estimates for Austen and Boelo had been published by Tuesday morning.
The Cumbrian manufacturer’s experience shows a common gap in cover. As Insurance Business reported on Monday, standard business interruption cover usually requires physical damage at the insured premises. A business that loses trade because the mains supply fails, with no damage on site, will generally only recover if its policy includes a utilities or public supply extension. Those extensions often carry sub-limits, waiting periods, or exclusions for interruptions caused by weather damage to the wider network.
Flooded shops in Largs are in a different position. Physical flood damage at their premises should trigger both property and business interruption cover, provided they have flood cover. For coastal businesses, that is not guaranteed.
For commercial brokers, the storms are a reminder to check utility interruption cover now, particularly for manufacturers, retailers and food businesses entering their busiest season. Clients should know whether they have a public supply extension, what it pays and how long they must wait before it responds.
With another storm system arriving on Tuesday, brokers should also urge clients to document losses as they occur, including the dates of each power cut and any lost production or sales, so that claims can be supported if cover responds.
