The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Snow causes chaos for schools and transport
Unprecedented red weather warning in place as ‘Beast from the East’ arrives
Schools across Perth and Kinross and Fife will remain closed today amid an unprecedented red weather warning.
Hundreds of train services have been cancelled as people are told to avoid all travel.
Yesterday thousands of commuters who had made it into work were urged to head for home early as conditions dramatically deteriorated,
Perth College announced the closure of all of its sites just after 6am.
Glenshee Ski Centre was also closed, with staff announcing on social media that the resort was “stormbound”.
ScotRail said it took the decision to cancel services “in the best interests of our customers and staff”.
The company added: “Safety is central to this decision.”
Stagecoach also started winding down bus services in the afternoon as the weather worsened.
Scotland’s transport network was thrown into chaos last night as heavy snow hit most of the country.
Central Scotland was the worst affected area, being subject to a Met Office red alert until 10am today.
The Met Office warning covered most of the country including central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, south west Scotland, the Lothians and Borders and Strathclyde areas.
People were warned to avoid travelling after the red alert was issued for heavy snow across affected regions.
The definition of a red warning is “you should take action now to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the weather” and it cautions that widespread damage, disruption and risk to life is likely.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “This is the first red warning that has been issued for snow under the current system, which means that conditions in affected areas will be extremely treacherous.
“I would urge people to follow police advice and avoid travel in those areas affected by the red and amber warnings.”
He added that he will be holding talks with a number of employers after people were left stranded in snow while travelling for work.
Motorists faced disruption on many routes, with those on the M80 at a standstill for a number of hours.
Speaking to Reporting Scotland, Mr Yousaf said: “Some employers have been extremely flexible, but clearly some haven’t.
“There will be some conversations I’ll be having after this weather event because I have seen HGVs that are carrying home furniture, stationery and piping.
“Now, I’m not convinced that that is all necessary and many of the incidents we’ve seen have involved a loss of traction from HGVs.”
Gritters worked around the clock to keep roads across the region open, but there were still long delays in some areas.
In Edinburgh the city bypass was closed eastbound, with some motorists reporting being stuck for several hours. Several motorists were reported as resorting to driving the wrong way down the dual carriageway to escape the gridlock.
Rail travellers were urged to start making their way home early yesterday afternoon after Scotrail made the decision to cancel all services in the red warning zone.
Affected routes were in and around Glasgow, Edinburgh, the Lothians, the Borders, Fife and Perth and Kinross.
Virgin Trains said the route between Carlisle and Scotland is closed, with no trains or replacement buses running.
Other rail routes between England and Scotland are also “severely disrupted”.
Edinburgh Airport remained open at 5pm, but warned travellers a number of airlines were cancelling flights. At 3pm Glasgow Airport announced there would be no further flights and advised customers to check with individual airlines for updates.
The heavy snow also saw surgical operations called off, football games and Scottish Parliament committees cancelled.
The SPFL announced last night’s games in the Ladbrokes Premiership – including Celtic v Dundee – were postponed.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde announced any non-essential operations and outpatient appointments for today would be rearranged.
It is the first red alert for snow in Scotland since a new warning system came into place in 2011, though there have been red warnings for wind and rain north of the border before, the Met Office confirmed.
There has only been one other red snow warning before in the UK, for south Wales in 2013.
It is only the ninth red warning issued in the UK since 2011 for any kind of weather.
The warnings come as hundreds of schools across Scotland were closed and there was severe disruption on the road and rail network as a result of heavy snow in large parts of Scotland yesterday.
Councils including Perth and Kinross, Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire have already announced their schools will be closed today.