Motorists warned as snow falls

Feb 4 2012

Motorists have been warned to take extra care as snow fell across parts of the country.

By late afternoon there had been snow on higher ground in the Highlands and southern uplands while 5cm was recorded at Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway.

Snow affected the A7 north of Langholm and the M74 but Dumfries and Galloway Police said all roads were passable with care.

The Met Office has issued amber warnings of snow for Grampian, Strathclyde, Central, Tayside, Fife, Lothian and Borders and Southern Scotland, and a less serious yellow warning for the Highlands and Western Isles.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said preparations were under way to deal with adverse weather.

He said: "Transport Scotland, Traffic Scotland and our resilience team are in regular contact with the Met Office, police, road operating companies and rail operators to ensure that adequate preparations are in place for this weekend.

"Frontline and patrol vehicles are being deployed across the network and on routes that are likely to be affected by snow, gritters will continue to operate until the snow has passed and will be further supported by additional vehicles. We stand ready to activate the resilience room and multi-agency response team if required."

Forecasters said that roads are likely to be icy tomorrow after a night of cold temperatures.

Paul Knightley, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "There will be largely clear skies tonight and the ground is already pretty cold so it will not take long for the moisture on the roads to freeze. Untreated roads will be pretty icy by morning."

Aberdeen City Council said its winter maintenance team will be out treating the streets over the weekend.