Hundreds of schools remain closed

Hundreds of schools remain closed for a second day in Scotland as weather warnings for snow and ice remains in place.

In Orkney, Shetland and Aberdeenshire schools will remain closed for the second day.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for snow for north east Scotland from 11am until 7pm on Tuesday as between 5 to 10 cm of snow is expected and up to 15cm in other parts of the country.

In Perth there is a yellow weather warning for snow and ice until midnight on Tuesday, and the Met Office has issued a yellow warning from the central belt south to the border until 11am today.

On Tuesday Glasgow’s subway network was suspended as ice caused a power failure.

Operator SPT said, “Currently both inner and outer circles are suspended and no stations are open.”

The Met Office said, “A spell of heavy snow is expected to move east across central and northern Scotland during Tuesday, clearing to wintry showers during Tuesday night.

“A further 5-10cm is expected widely with 15cm in places, particularly above 200 metres.”

Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell said, “Local resilience partnerships are continuing to meet to co-ordinate and deliver the response to disruption experienced by communities in the north and north-east of Scotland following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

“We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.

“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather, and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said, “At present, there is still some travel disruption but trunk roads are open and rail, ferry and air services are working to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

“Likewise, many schools are closed today but remote learning is in place for young people while contingency plans are in place for affected health and social care services.

“There will be further snow and ice, with yellow warnings in large parts of Scotland and temperatures set to remain cold, so impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days which could include transport problems and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the range of weather and travel advice available.”