9am Briefing: Snow showers and plunging temperatures set to continue

Much of the Capital ground to a halt yesterday, with many people unable to get into work due to the freezing conditions.

Forecasters said there was more snow on the way today.

Edinburgh Airport was closed this morning but the runway was expected to be operational by 11am.

EDINBURGH has spent 3.6 million on CCTV over the last three years – more than any other council in Scotland.

A league table compiled by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch also made the Capital the fourth biggest spender on security cameras in the UK.

Overall, councils across Britain have spent more than 315m on CCTV since 2007, enough to pay the salaries of 15,000 nurses, according to Big Brother Watch.

But the city council said CCTV deterred crime and had helped in the arrest of 761 people in the past year.

HUNDREDS of guests have been evacuated from a city centre hotel after large sections of Grassmarket were hit with a power cut.

Alternative accommodation has been found for around 200 people staying at the Apex Hotel yesterday following the power failure, and guests were moved to sister hotels in Waterloo Place and Lauriston Place.

The blackout began at 1pm, and left large parts of the Grassmarket and surrounding areas without electricity for long spells. Scottish Power had engineers on the scene quickly working to resolve the fault.