Police warn against road travel during Storm Bert

Police are urging people not to travel on Scotland's roads on Saturday as Storm Bert looks set to bring more heavy snowfall across the country.

A Met Office amber warning is already in place for parts of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Angus.

It runs from 07:00 to 17:00 on Saturday when there will be an increased likelihood of severe weather affecting travel and power supplies.

Police Scotland's warning covers all roads north of the central belt.

Additionally, a number of yellow "be aware" warnings for snow, high winds and heavy rain have also been issued for Scotland over the weekend.

Temperatures have dipped below freezing all week, with snow and ice settling across the north of Scotland.

About 30 schools were closed in Aberdeenshire on Friday as well as 10 in the Highlands - and many others are opening later in the day.

Moray Council said it was forced to close nine schools due to the weather.

Councils have cancelled weekend Christmas light switch-on events in Perth and Renfrew.

Met Office chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "Storm Bert starts to arrive overnight on Friday and into Saturday, initially over Northern Ireland.

"As we go through the first part of Saturday morning, it will start to show its hand across Scotland, north Wales and northern England, with the potential for some heavy snowfall, especially over higher ground."

He warned that rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend may lead to flooding in some areas.

Sepa has issued four flood alerts covering Aberdeenshire, Dundee and Angus, Tayside, and Dumfries and Galloway.

Storm Bert is expected to be a "multi-hazard event" due to the potential impact of combining heavy snow, rain and wind.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said she strongly encouraged people to take precautions, adding: “All parts of the Scottish government resilience network stand ready to respond to the storm.”

Bear Scotland, which looks after trunk roads in the north west and south east of Scotland, said it would have specialist resources to remove fallen trees and deal with any flooding.

It said restrictions may be needed on bridges such as the Skye Bridge, Kessock Bridge, Dornoch Bridge, Cromarty Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.

The Queensferry Crossing will also be monitored for ice.

Ian Stewart, from Bear Scotland, said: “We are fully prepped and are closely monitoring conditions and will act quickly when required.

“We remind members of the public to check before travelling. Traffic Scotland is a great source of the latest journey information and advice.

"Drivers of high-sided and wind-susceptible vehicles such as caravans and trailers should take particular care and check for restrictions.”

Supt Vinnie Fisher, deputy head of road policing, said: “All road users should consider if they really need to travel in adverse weather.

“Listen to media broadcasts for updates, follow Transport Scotland and the Met Office on social media and share information with others.”

Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said roads may be affected by deep snow, particularly over higher routes, and some rural communities might be cut off.

Traffic on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll will be rerouted onto the Old Military Road on Saturday afternoon, with delays of about 20 minutes expected.

Interruptions to power supplies and telephone networks could also occur.

Douglas Cairns, Operations Support Manager at Traffic Scotland, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme they are expecting "widespread disruption" across the the trunk road and motorway network, as well as some issues on public transport.

He said: "There are a number of weather warnings in play so regardless of where you are travelling to and from I think you are likely to see some disruptive weather in some way, shape or form."

He added that people who do wish to travel should think about if they can "retime, remodel or rethink" their journeys.

CalMac has warned that ferry services could be cancelled at short notice due to high winds.

Some services to Islay and Colonsay have already been cancelled in anticipation of the severe weather.

• 05:00 Saturday to 19:00 Saturday - Yellow - wind gusting to 60mph over the Western Isles, as well as parts of the Highlands, north east Scotland and south west Scotland. Gusts of up to 70mph in some coastal areas
• 07:00 Saturday to 17:00 Saturday - Amber - heavy snow for parts of Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Angus. Accumulations of up 20cm on ground above 200m, with potentially as much as 40cm on hills above 400m
• 04:00 Saturday to 09:00 Sunday - Yellow - for mainland Scotland, Skye and Inner Hebrides, temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m. Upland areas could see 20-40 mm of rain during Saturday night

Forecasters say Storm Bert will be quite slow moving and will only start to clear from Monday.

The start of next week will remain unsettled, with strong winds and rain showers expected.

Earlier this week, Scotland recorded its coldest early winter temperature since 1998 when Braemar in Aberdeenshire reached a low of -11.2C (-11.8F).

On Thursday, schools across the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire were closed due to poor road conditions.

ScotRail said there was also some rail disruption and urged people to check if their routes were affected throughout Friday and into the weekend.