Hundreds of schools have been closed and travel severely disrupted following heavy snowfall across large parts of Northern Scotland.
Amber weather warnings remain in place until 10:00 on Monday after several days of freezing conditions. Snow drifts and icy surfaces have made road, rail and air travel impossible in some areas, including Aberdeen, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands. The Orkney and Shetland Islands have also been badly affected.
The Met Office warned that a further 5–10cm of snow could fall across much of the north east, Highlands and Northern Isles, with some mainland areas potentially receiving as much as 20–30cm.
A separate yellow warning for snow and ice covers most of Scotland until the end of Monday. Overnight temperatures dropped sharply, reaching a low of –9.3°C at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands.
Gritting teams have been working around the clock as thousands of people attempt to return to work and school after the Christmas break. Bear Scotland said its full fleet of 115 vehicles had been deployed in the north west and south east to keep key routes open despite what it described as “very challenging weather conditions.”
The company said it was working closely with partner organisations and warned drivers to remain cautious, noting that icy conditions would continue even after the amber warning ends. Amey, which operates in the north east, said it was also operating at full capacity.
In the Cairngorms, around 50cm of snow was reported in Tomintoul by Sunday evening. All schools in Aberdeenshire are closed on Monday, while more than 20 schools in Aberdeen will not open after initially delaying the start of the day. Over 60 schools and nurseries in Moray have also announced closures, while education settings in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles remain shut until further notice.
Aberdeenshire Council chief executive Jim Savage said about 200 staff were deployed on Monday morning to clear roads, supported by 44 road gritters and 47 footway gritters. He said some villages had been completely cut off and described the widespread school closures as unusual but necessary to limit travel.
“We don’t want people travelling unnecessarily across the network at the moment,” he said, adding that while pupils were disappointed, they would return to school once conditions improved.
Air travel has also been affected. Although Aberdeen Airport remains open, flights to destinations including Amsterdam, Dublin and London Heathrow have been cancelled.
Sumburgh Airport in Shetland and Kirkwall Airport in Orkney remain closed. Ferry services, however, are continuing to operate.
ScotRail said “route proving” was under way on Monday morning, but warned that some services may not resume until later in the day. While the Highland Main Line between Inverness and Perth is running, routes between Aberdeen and Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, and services to Kyle of Lochalsh and Wick are likely to be disrupted.
Network Rail said trains cannot operate safely in snow depths exceeding 30cm unless fitted with snow ploughs. Route director Ross Moran urged patience, saying safety remained the top priority.
“We will only reopen lines and return to normal operations once we are confident it is safe to do so,” he said.
For more news, visit New Daily Prime
