Storms Malik and Corrie: Schoolboy among two people dead after trees torn down

The child in Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman in Aberdeen lost their lives as Storm Malik hit on Saturday, damaging power lines and ripping roofs off homes in the North of England and Scotland.

Less than 24 hours later, Storm Corrie and its winds of more than 90 mph also battered parts of the country, blowing trees onto railway lines and causing severe damage to properties, which left thousands of homes without power. 

READ MORE: Storm Arwen: Mairi McAllan warns Scotland's forests will take 'centuries' to recover

At this stage no one is believed to have lost their lives in the second storm. 

A police spokesman said of the schoolboy's death: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical staff, a nine-year-old boy passed away.

“The boy’s family are being supported by specially-trained officers. The man remains in hospital.

On the West Highland Line, teams are currently inspecting sections of the route to check they're safe to reinstate train services following #StormMalik. This will take time, but progress is being made.

📌 Corpach, near Fort William
📸 Gary, Fort William Mobile Ops Manager pic.twitter.com/G9Qgl4nTd6

— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) January 29, 2022

“A scene remains at the location, where people are asked to avoid the area. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Coming just two months after Storm Arwen wreaked havoc across the country, the full extent of the damage to the UK's timber industry this time is unknown at this point. November's storms affected thousands of hectares of woodlands and blew down around 20 per cent of Scotland's annual timber harvest. 

Government ministers have since said work been put in place to make sure Scotland was better prepared. 

With the Arwen clear up still underway, and likely to last months, if not years, it's hoped those moves will have limited the damage this time around, but the situation remains unclear. 

READ MORE: Storm Arwen: Felling applications linked to damage fast-tracked

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I think it was very clear that there was a much stronger join-up between the power companies and the local resilience partnerships over the course of the weekend. 

A tree felled by Storm Malik (Durham County Council/PA)

“There has been and continues to be an extensive network of various centres and catering facilities available for people around about the communities that are affected by the loss of power, and individual contacts by the power companies with individuals.”

Several schools in Aberdeenshire and Northumberland said they will be shut or will delay opening on Monday.

Storm Corrie pushed into the North Sea in the early hours of Monday, leaving cold and blustery conditions behind.