Severe storms wreak havoc across Scotland

Published on Tuesday 30 March 2010 23:09

SCOTLAND was brought to a virtual standstill last night as several of its main road and rail arteries were closed as a result of severe weather.

• A Stirling council gritting lorry gets stuck in the snow after trying to pass an abandoned animal feed lorry. Picture: PA

Two main trunk roads south – the A7 and A68 – were shut due to heavy snow, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded. There were long tailbacks on the M8 and M9, and the east coast rail line was impassable as a result of a landslide.

The A1 was also blocked eastbound at Gladsmuir due to flooding near Haddington, East Lothian.

And Grampian Police confirmed road closures in the north on the A9 at Dalwhinnie and the A82 at Glencoe. There were also long delays on the M8. Snow, rain and sleet affected many areas, and another band of severe weather was due to hit overnight – days after the official start of British Summer Time.

The forecast prompted the Met Office to issue a rare emergency weather warning, with 50cm of snow expected in high places during the night.

Severe blizzards, snow drifts and very heavy snowfalls were expected, with reduced visibility on affected roads. Power outages were predicted, along with widespread road closures.

However, some areas were expected to avoid the worst of the snowfall, including coastal parts of East Lothian, Berwick, some areas in the west, Caithness and Skye. Trains running south of Edinburgh on the east coast main line were halted last night after two landslides at Grantshouse. It was estimated as many as 700 passengers had been stranded in Edinburgh after trains heading for London were forced back to Scotland.

Passengers travelling north to Edinburgh were also stopped at Berwick, and faced lengthy detours via Carlisle.

High waves caused another landslide, under the east coast rail line near Aberdour in Fife, forcing all trains to be rerouted inland, while a fallen tree blocked the main line north of Blair Atholl.

One passenger on the 7pm train from Edinburgh to London said: "It has been absolute chaos. Nobody knows what's going on, except that a landslide has blocked the track and we aren't getting to London. We are just stranded."

The Northern Constabulary warned drivers to take care on roads with many, including the A9, affected by white-out conditions.

Heavy rain and flooding caused long tailbacks on the M8 in Glasgow and the M9 between Glasgow and Stirling, while ten lorries were stranded in snow for several hours on the M90 near Bridge of Earn, in Perthshire.

In Edinburgh, the Royal Mile was closed after a 60ft tree fell on a car and masonry was blown on to the street by high winds.

Edinburgh Airport also reported some delays to flights, with all services to Belfast cancelled due to the closure of the airport there.

ScottishPower was forced to send out engineering teams after a series of power cuts caused by snow and high winds, mainly in North Ayrshire, where the company experienced about ten times as many faults as usual. The company yesterday managed to restore power to approximately 20,000 homes across the country – 7,000 of them in Ayrshire.

Frank Mitchell, director of ScottishPower energy networks, said: "Just when we thought we were heading into summer, we have actually experienced some of the worst weather conditions of the entire winter. The combination of high winds, ice and snow has been particularly bad in certain areas and has had a major impact on the electricity network today, specifically in North Ayrshire."

Mr Mitchell said more than 500 engineers had been on call over Christmas and New Year and the same number were on standby last night and today. He added: "Although we have fixed the majority of faults today, the weather forecast for the next 24 hours is for more high winds, sleet and snow, so our engineers remain on high alert for potential problems."

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 18 flood warnings across the country. They included the River Esk in East Lothian, which burst its banks, as well as along the east coast of Scotland, from Peterhead to Berwick.

Other areas, including Loch Lomond and rivers in Argyll, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders and the Solway Firth were also put on alert.

High tides on the Firth of Forth caused safety concerns along the Fife coast, with the Beacon swimming pool in Burntisland evacuated yesterday afternoon and Kirkcaldy esplanade shut down due to waves crashing on to the road.

Flooding affected many farms in Aberdeenshire, where lambing has already started. Local farmer Jim Hunter said: "Hopefully, this will be short-lived. If it stays much longer, it will be a real disaster."

Back on the roads, there were restrictions on the Skye and Erskine bridges because of high winds, while the Tay bridge was open only to cars. Grampian Police said there was heavy surface water in Aberdeen city centre.

Snow caused problems further inland, especially on higher routes, and several roads were only passable with care.

Two Edinburgh-Glasgow train services were cancelled, leading to significant knock-on delays, after branches fell on to the line, while flooding on the Edinburgh-Bathgate line at Livingston also caused problems.

In Musselburgh, East Lothian, police were standing guard around the harbour amid fears that sea defences were about to be breached. Officers had to stop worried boating enthusiasts from entering the harbour to try to get their vessels out of the water, with some boats having been damaged by high tides and winds.

Police also closed roads next to the nearby River Esk. A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "The water level around the River Esk at Musselburgh was a particular concern and we had to stop traffic from going near the river. There was also a concern about the sea defences at Musselburgh harbour, which were on the verge of being breached at high tide."

Flood watches were in place in East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and Edinburgh last night after heavy rain overnight and throughout the day.

The severe weather could continue today, forecasters warned last night. The Met Office, which issued severe weather warnings for the North-east and Highlands, said 5-10cm of snow was expected in Aberdeenshire and other eastern areas, with 40-50cm on higher ground. Winds of 85mph were recorded on Cairn Gorm yesterday, and even stronger gusts are forecast for today.

Helen Chivers, a Met Office forecaster, said: "It's going to be quite hazardous conditions for the next 24 hours. The snow will become more extensive overnight and, with strong winds, visibility could be down to zero in some places.

"It won't be as bad as the weather we had earlier this year, but it will be bad enough. The wind is coming in from the north-east and it will be those exposed areas that will get the heaviest snowfalls. What makes it slightly more hazardous is the strong winds."

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