Weather: Scots families face week without power MORE than 5,000 homes across Scotland are enduring a fourth day without power, after "unprecedented" blizzards caused mass blackouts. Emergency supplies and generators are being deployed to bring relief to those hardest hit. But it could be several days yet before some properties in rural areas are reconnected to any kind of electricity supply, leaving them facing the prospect of nearly a week without power. Food and fuel was sent to the Kintyre peninsula, where 4,000 homes remain cut off after 100ft high pylons carrying their main supply line were damaged on Friday. A further 1,500 residents on Arran, which was also hit by the incident, were last night also without electricity, Scottish Hydro Electric said. In Dumfries and Galloway, ScottishPower said it hoped to reconnect overnight most of the remaining 1,500 customers in the Wigton area who were cut off by a series of smaller power line problems caused by Friday's storm. A Met Office severe weather warning was in force for south-west Scotland until Monday morning, for ice and drifting snow threatening further potential travel disruption. A special convoy, involving three fuel tankers, food vans and the Royal Mail, delivered essential supplies to Campbeltown after being escorted along the A83 by emergency vehicles. The road remains closed to other traffic because of 15ft snow banks and fallen power cables. Two special ferry sailings brought in portable generators, engineers and food deliveries from Kennacraig at the north end of the Kintyre peninsula. Filling stations in Kintyre were supplying only "priority" vehicles to conserve stocks to keep emergency generators running. Argyll and Bute Council said it had worked with health service staff, police and local volunteers to ensure that vulnerable and older people were safe. Council development and infrastructure director Sandy Mactaggart said: "The Kintyre peninsula has experienced unprecedented localised weather conditions - it is no exaggeration to say no-one involved has ever seen anything like it before. High winds and continuing snow fall, combined with drifts of up to 15ft in places, have had an impact on the clearing work. Vehicles involved include three snow blowers and several heavy excavators. Mr Mactaggart added: "We made arrangements to take engineers, vehicles and equipment to the Kintyre peninsula using a CalMac ferry. This was essential to enable the company to start work on restoring electricity supplies in the area. A further ferry-load arrived in Campbeltown on Sunday, including a food delivery truck. The council said all primary schools south of Tarbert would be closed today - and some could be shut until Thursday. North Ayrshire Council said all Arran's schools and day-care services would remain closed today and mobile generators and catering units were being set up across the island to provide light, heat and hot meals. Halls in Brodick and Whiting Bay, along with Lamlash fire station, have been open round the clock, while Auchrannie Spa and Country House in Brodick offered refreshments. Scottish & Southern Energy, which owns Scottish Hydro Electric, said 500 engineers and other staff had reconnected 1,000 homes on Arran and 1,000 in Campbeltown with mobile generators since Saturday, but it could be several more days until mains supplies are restored. A spokesman said: "Although weather conditions have slightly improved, we are still faced with very difficult access problems. Many roads remain blocked. The high-voltage transmission network that connects the Kintyre peninsula and Arran is damaged and several steel towers have collapsed under the weight of ice on the conductors near Crossaig in Kintyre. A spokesman said "several kilometres" of power lines had been brought down by high winds combined with snow and ice building up on the wires. The total number of people cut off has reduced from a peak of 24,000 in Scotland on Friday evening, but a further 29,000 homes in Northern Ireland were without power yesterday. A ScottishPower spokesman said: "The main locations affected yesterday were in Wigtownshire and Barrhill, with just under 3,000 homes off supply. At 6pm, about 1,500 further homes had been reconnected. The spokesman said 200 engineers working in the area hoped to restore power to most customers by last night either by the main lines or by generator. "If there are any properties we cannot reach, we will look to offer an alternative, such as hotel accommodation," he added. Conditions in the area since Friday have been extremely difficult. We have seen engineers left stranded in their vans overnight and walking for miles in snow drifts of up to 10ft attempting to reach faults. Strathclyde Police said a woman in her eighties suffering from hypothermia was airlifted by helicopter from Pirnmill on the north west coast of Arran to hospital in Kilmarnock, where she was in a stable condition. A number of other elderly people have also been transported to the mainland. Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said he had temporarily relaxed drivers" working hours to ensure feed supplies to farmers and milk collection. Elsewhere, a man found dead in deep snow after he started walking home in Lancashire has been named. The body of Gary Windle, 25, was found by a farmer in Brierfield, near Burnley, on Saturday afternoon.