Snow joy for some as wintry weather causes travel disruption
Parts of Scotland face further snow tomorrow after wintry conditions caused widespread travel disruption on both sides of the Border.
Southern Scotland and northern England are expected to be hit with 2-5cm, which could affect road and rail journeys.
The yellow – “be aware” – severe weather alert from the Met Office will be in force from 3am to noon.
A spokesperson for the agency said: “A spell of snow is likely across parts of northern England and southern Scotland on Friday morning.
“Some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.
“Some delays to air travel are also possible.”
The Met Office said snow would affect ground above 100m, which includes part of most cross-border routes.
It also said up to 10cm was possible over higher ground.
The warning follows the latest overnight ice alert – the third in three days – which remains in force until noon today for the north and extreme west of Scotland.
The warnings came after iced-up points at Rutherglen, near Glasgow, caused significant train disruption yesterday.
The problem, reported at 8am, caused delays to services across the Central Belt until 3:30pm.
A separate signalling problems in Edinburgh, caused by a mechanical fault, prevented any Scotrail trains from moving in the capital around 8am.
Scotrail tweeted at 8:16am: “No services are able to run in or out of Edinburgh.”
When trains resumed, their frequency was reduced on several lines, including services being halved on the main Edinburgh-glasgow route until late evening.
Bad weather delayed Calmac ferry sailings between Ullapool and Stornoway, and Northlink warned of possible disruption to Orkney and Shetland.
In England, heavy snow and ice disrupted airports and motorways in England and left thousands without power.
Passengers at Stansted Airport were delayed while the runway was closed temporarily to allow safety checks to be carried out.
Travellers at Luton Airport were warned of possible delays due to sleet and snow, with reported hold-ups of over two hours while crews de-iced their plane.
A lorry crash on the M1 in Leicestershire closed all three southbound lanes and left traffic backed up in its wake, with a string of weather-related crashes elsewhere.
Highways England reported “severe conditions” in both directions on the A14 near Kettering. Motorists were asked to avoid the area while vehicles were moved, some of which had been stuck in snow for several hours.
Another HGV jack-knifed in heavy snow on the M5 in Gloucestershire, as heavy snowfall overnight affected western parts of central England.
Western Power Distribution and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said more than 13,000 homes remained without power, in the Midlands, south west of England, and Wales.