Glasgow grinds to a halt as road closures bring chaos

GLASGOW city centre ground to a halt, with major roads closed and a number of buses diverted away from the inferno on Sauchiehall Street.

The cordon around the scene was gradually increased throughout the day, with police citing public safety as their top priority.

Sauchiehall Street was closed between Blythswood Street and Buchanan Street, and Renfrew Street between Cambridge Street and West Nile Street.

Hope Street was also closed between Bath Street and Cowcaddens Road, while Renfield Street shut between Bath Street and Cowcaddens Road and West Nile Street between its junction with Renfrew Street and Bath Street.

Police confirmed these areas would be cordoned off for several hours as emergency services continued to deal with the incident.

They said it was unlikely they would be reopened until today at the earliest.

They warned that there may also be problems with services today as some of the city’s major streets remain closed.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said it was likely emergency road closures made by police yesterday “would be revisited over the coming days, which may require longer-term diversions”.

First Bus Glasgow was forced to put diversions in place for busy bus services B10, 18, 240, 255, 263 and 267, while the major streets were also out of operation.

John Gorman, head of operations, said: “First Glasgow are working hard to ensure there is minimal disruption to customers along all of our city centre routes. Unfortunately, the police diversion put in place on Sauchiehall Street means that all services in and out of the city are affected.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said it had been a “difficult, anxious day for the city”, which owed “a huge debt of gratitude to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and all of our first responders for their courage and professionalism.”

She added: “While everyone across Glasgow will be relieved there appears to have been no casualties, this is still an extremely serious, complex and challenging situation that will continue to have a significant impact on the city centre over the coming days and weeks.

“I am aware that businesses and residents close to the scene will be concerned tonight and, although this is still an ongoing incident, I have asked our officers to start putting a recovery plan in place”.

The city’s entertainment venues were also impacted. Cineworld closed its doors yesterday afternoon and asked customers to call their helpline for more information or to claim refunds.

Meanwhile, water supplies were disrupted as firefighters battled the blaze throughout the day. Scottish Water warned about a disruption to the supply due to the hydrants in use, issuing a warning to those in the G2 postcode area.

A spokesman said: “We are aware that the fire service is in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow tackling a fire. As the hydrants are in use, this may cause low pressure and discoloured water to the surrounding streets.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing.”