Storm Boelo Arrives in Perth, Is Told to Take a Number Behind Storm Austen
Second named storm in two days finds the Fair City's queue system 'very much in operation'; wheelie bins reported migrating south for the winter.
Perthetic cartoon: the great bin migration of 2026. Illustration, not a photograph. Cartoon: Perthetic Art Desk (AI-assisted illustration)
PERTH — Storm Boelo swept into Perth and Kinross overnight under an amber Met Office wind warning, only to be told politely at the city limits that Storm Austen was “still being seen to” and it would have to wait its turn.
“Two named storms in two days,” said a fictional council receptionist, handing Boelo a numbered ticket. “We’re not made of sandbags.” Boelo is understood to have sighed loudly, which at 70mph is the only way it knows how.
The real forecast is no joke: the Met Office amber warning runs until 9pm on Sunday, with gusts of 60 to 70mph widely and up to 80mph on exposed coasts, plus a yellow rain warning for Perth and Kinross until 3pm. Police have urged people to consider whether journeys are really necessary, and speed restrictions are in force across Scotland’s railways. Please stay indoors, check on neighbours, and tie down anything you are fond of.
That advice has not reached the city’s wheelie bins, which were seen by imaginary witnesses forming a neat V over the Tay and heading south “for the winter, like sensible birds”. One green bin was reportedly wearing goggles. A council spokesbin declined to say when collections would resume, adding only: “We’ll be back on a Tuesday. Not necessarily this Tuesday.”
Storm Austen, meanwhile, has been found slumped on Kinnoull Hill with a cup of tea, insisting it “did the hard bit”. Forecasters warn another low could arrive on Tuesday, possibly named Chloe, at which point Perth intends to install a proper ticket machine.
For updates, check the Met Office, Traffic Scotland and ScotRail before setting off — and if you do see a bin flying past, don’t chase it. It’s made its choice.
Letters to the Editor
The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
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Our green bin left at 3am. Didn’t even say goodbye. Twenty years.
— Janice M., Craigie, 25 October 2026 -
Saw three bins over the Friarton Bridge heading for Fife. Nobody chased them. Correct decision.
— Kenny D., Tulloch, 25 October 2026 -
@Kenny if one has a 47 on the lid it’s mine. Tell it I’m not angry.
— Janice M., Craigie, 25 October 2026 -
Storms used to have proper names. Like Frank. Boelo sounds like a dog’s name.
— Bill R., Bridge of Earn, 25 October 2026 -
Our green bin left at 3am. Didn't even say goodbye. Twenty years.
— Janice M., Craigie, 27 October 2026 -
@Kenny if one has a 47 on the lid it's mine. Tell it I'm not angry.
— Janice M., Craigie, 27 October 2026 -
Storms used to have proper names. Like Frank. Boelo sounds like a dog's name.
— Bill R., Bridge of Earn, 27 October 2026
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