Bridge closed as lorry blown over

THE Forth Road Bridge was closed to all traffic in both directions today after a lorry was blown over in strong winds.

The incident happened at around 2am at a time when the bridge operators said it was closed to high-sided vehicles.

No one was injured but the bridge was likely to remain closed for some time as high winds hampered recovery efforts.

Mark Arndt of Amey said: “The bridge is closed in both directions and we are doing everything we can to reopen the route as soon as possible.

“It’s most likely that we’ll be able to reopen one lane of the northbound carriageway later today.

“However, we will need a crane to remove the HGV from the southbound carriageway, and this work is highly dependent on the prevailing wind speeds.

“We are continuing to monitor the forecast and have a team mobilised and ready to respond as soon as it is safe to do so, but it is very likely the bridge will remain closed through the morning peak.

“We know that closing the bridge has a serious impact on people’s journeys and it’s regretful that this situation has arisen.”

Tricky driving conditions were expected today as gusts of up to 75mph and wintry weather swept across northern areas.

Gale-force winds and blizzard-like conditions were likely to bring travel chaos to some parts of the country.

Yellow weather warnings for wind and snow across much of Scotland and the north of England were issued by the Met Office for all of today.

Forecaster Craig Snell said the snow could lead to dangerous conditions on the roads and the strong winds could force bridge closures and cause lorry buffeting.

He said the winds were due to drop off during the afternoon but pick up again in the evening, leading to a combination of wind and snow.

The mix could bring “blizzard-like conditions across parts of Scotland” leading to “some very tricky driving conditions”.

There was also a chance of thunder and lightning, which could disrupt the power supply and bring so-called “thundersnow”.

By tomorrow, the stream of cold air will spread further south, bringing hazardous conditions to much of the UK.

Rod Dennis of the RAC said drivers should be prepared for “tricky driving conditions and significantly extended journey times”.

The overturned lorry lying across the southbound carriageway, having been blown from the northbound route.