Pupils enjoy extra day off

ICY conditions gave hundreds of pupils an extra day's holiday today as schools stayed closed and some areas were said to be missing out on their bin collection for the third week running.

All schools in Midlothian and East Lothian were shut, while seven city schools were also affected. The city council said Gracemount Primary and the nursery class at Dalmeny Primary would remain closed due to heating problems and a burst pipe. Buckstone Primary and Dean Park Primary were closed because of the weather conditions, while the Redhall, Kaimes and Woodlands special schools also remained shut.

With the cold snap expected to continue, refuse collections in Edinburgh are continuing to face disruption. The city council says only a "small number" of areas are affected by repeated missed collections.

The advice is to leave your bin out until it is collected.

Collections from street bins have been disrupted, while red and blue box collections are also behind schedule. If they are not collected, householders should put them out on the next scheduled collection day.

Meanwhile, organisers say this year's Bupa Great Winter Run is scheduled to go ahead.