Crashes and closures as freeze bites

Snow and ice cause spate of accidents across Tayside and Fife, while there is disruption to schools and bus services

Courier Country was again hit by the harsh winter weather yesterday with a spate of accidents and school closures.

The A9 Perth to Stirling road was closed southbound for more than two hours near Blackford following a four-vehicle collision. It took place at 6.50am and involved a lorry, a van and two cars.

Fortunately no one was injured and the road re-opened at 9.10am.

Police also attended a two-vehicle accident at 7am on the southbound M90 Perth to Inverkeithing road, near Milnathort. A car skidded on ice and struck the central reservation before colliding with a lorry. A police spokesperson said no one was injured.

There was another incident on the southbound M90 near the Friarton Bridge, Perth, when a car struck the central reservation in icy conditions.

The police spokesperson said the female driver of the car suffered minor injuries but didn’t require hospital treatment.

Glenlyon and Kinloch Rannoch primary schools closed their doors, while Crieff High School was only open to local pupils.

Perth itself saw intermittent periods of heavy snow through the day, with the Craigie and Kinnoull areas of the city particularly badly hit.

Meanwhile, Kelvin Bristol, from Perth, said he had set off early for a day of skiing at Glenshee Ski Centre, but was forced to come back after reaching the infamous Devil’s Elbow.

Bus services through Perth were also subject to delays due to the icy conditions, with vehicles travelling between Spittalfield, Murthly and Perth unable to serve the Ballathie-kinclaven loop.

Live Active Leisure confirmed all of their outdoor facilities across Perth and Kinross were closed due to the snowy weather. And Perth College took the decision to close for the day at noon.

Elsewhere, the conditions were less extreme though most parts of Fife and Tayside awoke to at least a dusting of snow.

Pedestrians in Dundee described early morning conditions on some pavements as treacherous.

A yellow ‘be aware’ warning for snow and ice, issued by the Met Office, is still in place for most of Scotland, with more snow showers expected.

preoch@thecourier.co.uk

Picture: Mhairi Edwards. Brothers Jimmy and Harry Fraser walk through the snow in Camperdown Park, Dundee.

Picture: Steven Brown. An Audi skidded through a garden wall in Benarty Street, Kirkcaldy.