The Kingdom was almost cut off for a time on Wednesday morning after both the Tay and Forth bridges were completely closed, leading to chaos for commuters.

Roads throughout the area were blocked by fallen trees and floods, and householders were left counting the cost after the gales ripped off roof tiles and tore down fences.

One man had a lucky escape when he escaped with minor injuries after his car crashed into a tree that had been blown on to the B937 between Giffordtown and Collessie, while the B936 Auchtermuchty to Den of Lindores road had to be closed after being littered with trees and debris and engulfed by flooding at Pitcairlie Toll.

The B9131 road between St Andrews and Anstruther was also closed after being blocked by a fallen tree.



The severe weather also led to a number of school closures, including Balmerino, Tayport and New Gilston, while Strathmiglo Primary School had to be shut because of heating problems.

Scottish Power also confirmed that more than 1700 homes — mainly in north east Fife — were left without electricity as a result of the bad weather.

The high winds, which were accompanied by lashing rain that swelled rivers and burns, were caused by a very deep area of low pressure over Scotland.

A Fife Council spokesman said that grounds maintenance and transportion staff had been out from around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night to try to ensure disruption was kept to a minimum.