Hundreds of schools closed as snow brings disruption

Hundreds of schools in northern Scotland are closed on Monday as heavy snow brings disruption to parts of the country.

The Met Office issued several amber weather warnings for heavy snow which covers Aberdeenshire, Orkney, Shetland and parts of the Highlands until 10am on Monday.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for Scotland which covers Perth and the south of the country.

School children will therefore have an extra day of holiday as schools in the Western Isle and Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland, including many in Moray.

The forecaster said that the weather warning issued warns of snow between 5 and 10cm and over mainland Scotland snow will be 20 to 30 cm.

Speaking to the BBC radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme, John Swinney said: “It is tough for people in the north east of Scotland and the Highlands and islands as a consequence of what has been an acute period of snowy weather over the last few days.

“There is a very substantial operation in place to make sure transport networks are able to function, and on road and rail there has been extensive work undertaken.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell: “The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas. Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.

“We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the adverse weather.

“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey. Please don’t drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.”

He added: “There is a challenge with the scale of the winds around for drifting snow on to roads, so some roads are getting covered in snow immediately they are getting cleared by the snow ploughs.”