OLECG advice after North Ronaldsay lightning strike

Temporary measures are in place in North Ronaldsay after lightning damaged the island’s phone network.

With many land lines reported to be out of action, the multi-agency Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordinating Group (OLECG) met today and are advising people in North Ronaldsay, in the event of an emergency, to:

• First try using your mobile phone to call 999.
• If that fails to work, contact the island’s special constable, Iain Deyell, on 0776 328 4900.
• If there are any issues with the mobile network, call at Vincoin, North Ronaldsay, where Iain has radio communications with Police Scotland.

During the meeting, OLECG discussed the Met Office “be prepared” warning covering the Northern Isles. Strong south-westerly winds are predicted to bring gusts of 60-70 mph with gusts of up to 90 mph in the most exposed areas.

Chief Inspector Gordon Deans, Police Scotland’s area commander for Orkney and chairman of OLECG, said: “The latest advice is that the impact is expected to be less than that caused by the storm that affected Orkney at the end of last week.

“There is, however, the likelihood that exposed coastal roads and causeways could be affected by overtopping, particularly around high tide.”