A SHIPPING container weighing two-and-a-half tonnes crushed a car as it was blown 80ft by hurricane-force winds.
A family on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides awoke on Friday to discover the amazing scene of destruction.
The container had been strapped down but was blasted free by the 113mph winds that struck the islands.
The family, who have a two year-old toddler, say they are lucky their house was not also crushed.
The images have only just emerged because the storm knocked out the internet for much of the islands for several days.
Nearly a quarter of all council homes in the Outer Hebrides have been damaged with the number of reports continuing to rise.
Ferries have been used to provide heat and shelter for those who lost power as locals report a sense of “community spirit” helping to get people through.
Billy Fraser, who lives in Seilebost on west side of Harris, woke on Friday morning to find his car had been crushed by a shipping container.
The 30 year-old distiller said: “We woke up in the morning and got up. I just opened the door and noticed the container wasn’t there.
“The container was sitting between two houses. The wind had broken one of the anchor straps and moved it about 20 ft to the car.
“The car and container then moved about 80 ft down the hill.”
He continued: “It weighs about two tonnes and the container had stuff in it so it was about two and a half tonnes.
“The whole back end of the car is smashed.”
But Mr Fraser said it could have been a lot worse.
“If both straps had broken at the same time it would have smashed in the house.
“We’re fortunate there hasn’t been injuries.”
Mr Fraser, his wife Sandra and their two-year-old son Rory, were without power from Thursday night to Saturday night.
They again lost power for several hours on Sunday but say islanders have been pulling together to get through.
“There is such good community spirit here,” he said. “People help each other when they can.”
Meanwhile just 16 miles away on the Isle of Scalpay a sixteen-seater school bus was smashed into rock about 10 meters from where it was parked.
Bus driver Calum Macleod, who had parked in the usual place on his driveway, said: “The wind blew it over on its side first then dragged it about 20 ft and lifted it and landed it on its wheels and onto a rock.
“It was about 30 or 40 ft away from going in to the water but it was wedged into the rock. It’s a total write off.”
John Maciver, Director of operations at the Hebridean Housing Partnership, said: “We’ve had over 500 [reports of damage] and it’s still rising.
“The vast majority is roof damage as you would expect.”
Meanwhile the MV Finlaggan ferry berthed in Tarbert, Isle of Harris, was providing islanders without power with a warm place to go as well as hot tea and coffee.
Most have had power restored but one local residents said some rural areas are yet to be reconnected.
