Roads danger as weather warning remains in place

Police Scotland are urging people to continue to stay off the roads as the Met Office extends the Amber Weather Warning into a third day.

The disruption caused during the prolonged, heavy snowfall and strong winds means police and partner agencies are still dealing with a number of issues right across the Scottish transport network – mostly on our roads.

According to police, conditions remain very challenging and they continue to urge people not to travel in the affected areas.

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Roads policing and divisional officers responded to a number of notable emergencies – including the rescue of motorists stranded on the M80 near Cumbernauld. They also helped trace a vulnerable male in Forth Valley in severe and life threatening weather conditions during the early hours of this morning.

Two motorists who were lost and disorientated on Clackmannanshire Bridge, in reduced visibility of approximately three feet were found by officers and guided to safety and shelter.

Earlier this morning a number of vehicles got into difficulty on the M80, and as a consequence the road was closed along with the M876.

Police are are asking people to avoid that area and their advice is clear – do not travel in the affected areas but if you have travelled and you get into difficulty, stay in your vehicle, call for assistance and wait for help to arrive.

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Superintendent Helen Harrison, who is coordinating the multi-agency response, said: “We continue to deal with a number of challenging incidents right across the country and the response from our officers, staff and those of our partner agencies has been outstanding.

“We are not complacent through and we will continue to monitor the situation closely in order to keep people as safe as possible. Our advice has not changed - avoid travel in the affected areas and keep a close eye on the Met Office updates and from the authorities across Scotland.

“We are continuing to run a multi-agency command centre at Bilston to coordinate the emergency response with our partners and to keep Scotland moving as best we can.

“The advice remains the same - if you can postpone your journey in affected areas until after the amber warning ceases I would urge you to do so. We’d ask employers to continue to allow staff to work flexibly.”

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Over the last two days Police Scotland control room staff answered 8272 calls and they are expecting more of the same, requesting people looking for advice on local transport services call the provider directly or check their websites.

Control room staff cannot advise people if they should or shouldn’t go to work. We would ask members of the public to make that decision, along with their employers based on the conditions and the advice being given.

For updates on the weather and travel conditions throughout the day please follow our social media accounts and those of our partners @TrafficScotland and @MetOffice.