Schools in Dundee remain closed

City council takes early decision to give pupils extended break, while NHS Tayside and bus services operate with little disruption

All Dundee’s schools remain closed for the second consecutive day after the city moved into a state of shutdown amid the country’s worst storm for years.

Following fierce criticism of the city council’s late decision to keep schools open on Wednesday, it was announced early in the morning that all nurseries, primaries and secondaries would shut for the day – with today’s closures confirmed at 3pm yesterday.

After a relatively mild period from mid-morning until early afternoon, the snow then picked up again, forcing many businesses to take the decision to shut up shop for the safety of staff.

Roads remained dangerous with police launching an investigation after a silver Renault Clio was found on its roof at the foot of the Hilltown on Wednesday at 10pm – the second such incident in the same spot after a red Kia crashed earlier that morning.

Three people reportedly crawled from the Clio after it flipped – and ran off in the direction of the city’s multis.

NHS Tayside was reportedly “coping well” during the brutal storm, however it apologised to any patients whose procedures had been deferred.

Most outpatient clinics and procedures went ahead as normal with GPs, staff in the community and out-of-hours services continuing to see patients as required.

The health board’s chief executive Lesley McLay issued a statement commending staff for their efforts in the face of adversity.

“I am extremely proud of how staff have responded in our hospitals and communities across the area,” she said.

All services operated by bus company Xplore Dundee were able to run with few diversions.

Dundee’s two main shopping centres, the Overgate and the Wellgate, announced they would close at 2.30pm for the safety of customers and staff.

The city’s famous RRS Discovery ship – which survived a brutal expedition to Antarctica in 1901 – lost its battle with the weather this time after it announced it was closed to visitors.

Dundee Ice Arena also shut with city residents unlikely to complain having participated in more than enough ice-related antics over the past few days.

Those attempting to celebrate World Book Day were hampered after the city’s public libraries were shut.

However, as was the case yesterday, the city rallied to help ensure people were safe and secure and that crucial services suffered as little detriment as possible.

Dundee-based 24-hour breakdown service, Big Recovery and Transportation, were offering a free pick-up service to all NHS and emergency service staff to help prevent understaffing.

And a crowdfunder launched by new vegan cafe Marwick’s has so far managed to raise £300 – with staff and owners using the cash to hand out hot drinks and soup to those in need.

Some bins were not collected in the city. The council has promised additional resources to collect any unemptied bins on Monday.

I am extremely proud of how staff have responded in our hospitals and communities ...

LESLEY MCLAY, NHS TAYSIDE CHIEF EXECUTIVE