Snow lies 18in deep as deadly ice covers highways

Published on Sunday 27 December 2009 22:02

SEVERE winter weather continued to cause disruption to parts of Scotland yesterday, blocking roads as emergency services warned drivers to stay at home.

One man died and four people, including an 11-year-old boy, were injured after a two-car crash in icy conditions in the Borders.

Elsewhere, roads and rail services were disrupted as up to 18in of snow were reported to have fallen in parts of Perthshire, and other parts of Scotland were hit by icy driving conditions.

The A9 in the Blackford and Auchterarder areas was shut from 3:30am yesterday morning for more than nine hours as motorway contractor BEAR Scotland and police worked to clear the snow.

A total of 31 lorries were stuck on the carriageway after the snowfall, which a BEAR Scotland spokesman said was four times the predicted two inches of precipitation.

Workers applied salt in an effort to get the jackknifed lorries moved.

A Central Scotland Police spokesman said: "Due to heavy snow, and several broken-down lorries and cars in the area of Blackford, it was necessary to close the A9 to all northbound traffic until further notice."

The route was later reopened.

In the Borders, emergency services were called at around 10:35am to the two-car collision on the A701 near Tweedsmuir, south of Peebles.

Two people were airlifted to hospital from the scene, the Scottish Ambulance Service said. The road between Broughton and Moffat was closed until 3pm.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "At 10:25am, a Daewoo vehicle which was travelling north collided with a Ford vehicle travelling south. As a result of the collision, a passenger in the Daewoo sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The driver and remaining passenger sustained injuries and were airlifted to Dumfries Royal Infirmary.

"The front-seat passenger in the Ford was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with a leg injury and an 11-year-old boy who was a back-seat passenger in the Ford was taken to hospital with seatbelt-related injuries."

In Tayside, police urged drivers to ensure they were "properly equipped" if they did decide to travel. But in a statement, the force said: "Tayside Police are advising drivers to consider the necessity of their journey prior to leaving and should not travel unless absolutely necessary."

In Dumfries and Galloway, sleet and ice overnight also resulted in treacherous conditions. The A74 around the Border was particularly bad, but all roads were affected.

A force spokeswoman said there had been a number of minor bumps, but no serious accident so far. She added: "We are urging people to drive with extreme caution."

While icy conditions continued on roads, forecasters said Scotland had likely seen the worst of the weather, though wintry showers were still possible, sweeping in from the North Sea in the coming days.

Temperatures will plunge again later this week, with many parts of the country struggling to get above freezing and the mercury as low as -8C on Hogmanay.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: "Most of our warnings for today are for widespread ice and another cold day, and a risk of one or two freezing fog patches.

"It will be dry generally and we are through the worst of it for 24-48 hours. There is a risk of showers off the North Sea after that, but it is not significant."

The AA said the message to drivers to be prepared was finally getting through.

The breakdown service acknowledged it had to prioritise responses amid an unprecedented number of call-outs in the past week.

Public health minister Shona Robison praised the efforts of those involved in trying to keep Scotland's transport network as free from disruption as possible.

Ms Robison said: "Although we've seen some delays and closures today, it would have been much worse were it not for the tireless efforts of those who have sacrificed their Christmas break in an attempt to keep Scotland moving.

"I would remind the public to plan carefully and check forecasts and travel websites before making their journeys – if absolutely essential."