M8 collision causing delays on Thursday morning - and several other collisions reported amid wintry driving conditions

Drivers are being told to expect delays after an HGV lorry jack-knifed on the M8 westbound at J4 Whitburn on Thursday morning.

Police said several weather-related collisions were reported on Thursday morning on the M8, M9 and M90.

A Twitter post from Traffic Scotland reads: ‘Lane 1 of 2 remains closed on the M8 westbound J4 Whitburn. Traffic queuing on approach - delays approx 15 mins. Delays eastbound from Shotts approx 25 mins’.

Police have warned drivers that delays are to be expected.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.55 am on Thursday, 10 February, 2022, police were called after a HGV lorry jack-knifed on the M8, westbound prior to J4a, Whitburn.

“No one was injured and the road was closed until approximately 5.30 am when vehicle was moved to hard shoulder.”

Across Scotland, motorists are being urged to drive with care as snow and strong winds bring difficult conditions on the roads.

Police said several weather-related collisions were reported on Thursday morning on the M8, M9 and M90.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow which is in place until 11am on Thursday, with forecasters warning of potential disruption to travel.

The main areas affected include Central, Tayside and Fife, south west Scotland, Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde, Highlands and Grampian.

A separate yellow weather alert for strong gale-force winds, warning of gusts of up to 75mph, is in place for the same areas and also the Western Isles until midday.

Road Policing Scotland tweeted: “Lots of weather-related collisions already being reported this morning on the M8, M9 and M90 just to name a few.

“Please drive to the prevailing road and weather conditions.

“Look well ahead and increase your following distance to account for any increased stopping distance.”

Caledonian MacBrayne said some ferry services are liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice due to adverse weather.

Forecasters warned that a brief period of severe gale-force westerly winds will develop across the Western Isles during the early hours of Thursday morning, bringing gusts up to 70-75mph, with the Uists most likely to see the strongest winds.

The windy conditions are then expected to shift eastwards across the rest of the warning area throughout Thursday morning, with gusts typically around 50mph, but perhaps approaching 60mph in a few locations.

Accumulations of 2cm (0.8in) to 5cm (2in) of snow are possible in areas above 200 metres (655ft), with possibly about 10cm (4in) on some of the higher routes above 400 metres (1,310ft).

Forecasters said that at lower levels there is a risk of icy and slushy surfaces which could cause dangerous travel conditions.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.