The blizzards followed last week’s
fierce storms which left 120,000 properties without power in Scotland. The homes
have since been reconnected but BT is continuing to fix phone lines in the
Highlands and Islands. Repair efforts have been hampered by fallen trees, ferry
cancellations and traffic restrictions.
Road operator Bear Scotland said its
teams were working around the clock to keep routes clear, while Police Scotland
said drivers should ask whether their journey is really necessary before
getting behind the wheel. A lorry jackknifed on the A9 south of Newtonmore in
snowy conditions causing delays for a time.
“If you do decide to travel, ensure
your vehicle is well prepared before setting off, make sure your windscreens
are completely free of snow and ice, and your lights are working and clean,”
said chief inspector Louise Blakelock.
Heavy snowfall blocked the railway line
in the Highlands between Blair Atholl and Drumochter as snowplough trains worked through the night in an attempt to
keep the rail network open.
Network Rail said a limited number of
train services would be suspended from noon today because of heavy winds. No
trains will run on the Dumbarton Central to Helensburgh Central and Glasgow to
Oban lines until 6pm tomorrow. The Kyle to Dingwall and Kilwinning to Ardrossan
line will also be suspended.
David Dickson, route managing director
for Scotland, said: “Safety has to be our first consideration during severe
weather. Where conditions are predicted to be most severe, we have agreed to
withdraw a limited number of services until the worst of the storms have
passed.”
In Northern Ireland, more than 100
schools were forced to close after heavy snowfall mainly in western parts of
the region. The counties worst hit by the severe weather were Derry, Fermanagh
and Tyrone. In Derry city, the snowfall was so deep overnight that some local
taxi firms have suspended their services this morning.
At the main hospital in the city some
staff were forced to stay on site overnight because of road closures and
disruption to public transport.
A spokesperson for Altnagelvin hospital
said: “A small number of staff had to stay in, we have planned arrangements in
place for such eventualities. Public access to the hospital at this stage is
like everywhere else in Derry: difficult but accessible.”
Rail and bus services in the west of
the province are disrupted as is the ferry between Ballycastle and Rathlin
Island with all sailings cancelled from half past nine on Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for Translink, the body
in charge of all public transport in Northern Ireland, said: “Due to adverse
weather conditions, there is service disruption to Ulsterbus and Goldline
services in the following areas: Ballycastle, Ballymena, Coleraine, Omagh,
Cookstown and Dungannon.
“Bus services are currently suspended
in Foyle and Limavady. There is some disruption to rail services on the
Londonderry Railway Line. Metro services [in Derry] are currently operating as
normal.”
Meanwhile across the border in the
Irish Republic, western counties were also being badly affected by the
snowfall.
Schools in Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and
parts of the Irish Midlands were closed. All secondary schools in Sligo town
were closed as a result of the snow and high winds.
The overnight freeze has hit train
services with points freezing on the rails between Galway and Dublin, Cork and
Tralee in County Kerry and Athenry to Ennis. Some flights into Cork airport had
to be temporarily rerouted to Dublin because of snowfall on runways.
The Met Office has issued yellow “be aware” alerts for most of the UK. Those
covering snow and ice are valid until midday Wednesday, but then the concern
shifts to strong winds and heavy rain for the rest of the day until Thursday.
“We should have a decent day, fine
weather and dry conditions at first,” said Dan Williams, senior press officer
for the Met Office.
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