School closures as Storm Eunice snow hit Scotland

Snow brought school closures and some travel disruption across Scotland as Storm Eunice hit the country.

A yellow Met Office warning for ice is now in place for most of the country until 09:00 on Saturday. Earlier snow and wind warnings expired at 18:00.

More than 150 schools and nurseries across Scotland were closed earlier due to snow, including almost 100 in Aberdeenshire.

Roads in some parts of the country were badly affected by the conditions.

In Angus, 25 schools were closed, while in Moray 14 schools were shut.

And about a dozen Aberdeen schools announced they were closing early due to the conditions.

Five schools and nurseries were closed in the Highland area, with some on higher ground in Inverclyde also closed.

The A82 south of Glencoe was partially closed due to heavy snow. And the snow gates were shut on the A93 at Braemar and at Glenshee.

Traffic Scotland reported that multiple lorries were stuck in snow on the A9 northbound at Tibbermore and on the M90 between Bridge of Earn and Glenfarg.

There were reports of long tailbacks near Auchterarder after some lorries got stuck further along the A9. Some drivers reported they had been stuck in the traffic for two and a half hours.

Police in the north east warned drivers only to travel if their journey was necessary, and said there were large tailbacks and significant delays in some areas.

Some minor roads roads around Angus, parts of Aberdeenshire and Argyll and Bute were also affected by heavy snow.

An ambulance rushing a baby girl to hospital in Aberdeenshire had to be rescued by members of the public after it became stuck in heavy snow.

The A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful is operating under convoy control until Saturday evening, and then from 19:00 traffic will be diverted to the Old Military Road as a safety precaution, due to the heavy rain forecasted.

Snow has been falling in areas of the Borders, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and central Scotland.

Borders areas over 150m (492ft) could see 5-10cm (2-4in), and more than 10cm (4in) is possible on the highest routes.

It follows disruption caused by Storm Dudley's hurricane-force winds.

Rail and ferry services were cancelled, with fallen trees damaging power lines.

All ScotRail services stopped at 16:00 on Wednesday after the Met Office issued an amber warning for wind.

However, the network was not shut down in Scotland for Storm Eunice.

ScotRail said that services on Friday morning were "running very well" with 90% of trains running on time.

Network Rail said there were reduced services heading cross-border, but this was largely due to the expected conditions in parts of England where "do not travel" warnings were in place.

Millions of people in the south of England and Wales have been told to stay at home as Storm Eunice is expected to be one of the worst storms in decades.

A red warning - meaning there is a danger to life from flying debris - covers London, as well as much of the south coast, and south-east and east of England.

Previous storms have left passengers trapped on trains for many hours. In November, travellers from Elgin to Aberdeen were stuck on board for 17 hours during Storm Arwen.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said seven flood alerts were in place in areas around the Solway Firth, due to a combination of Storm Eunice and high spring tides.

The Met Office ice warning covers most parts of Scotland and is in place from 18:00 until 09:00 on Saturday.

Residents are being asked to prepare for the conditions as strong winds as well as snow may lead to very poor visibility, blizzard conditions and drifting snow.

The Scottish government has also urged people to exercise caution and follow the latest travel advice.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney chaired the Scottish government's resilience room meeting on Thursday evening in response to Storms Dudley and Eunice.

"We remain in close contact with local authorities and emergency and essential services to ensure people in the affected areas receive the latest information, advice and support where needed," Mr Swinney said.