Following the Met Office’s extension of the Amber Weather Warning, Police Scotland are urging people to continue to monitor the forecast and stick to the advice being given by the authorities.
Amber and Yellow weather warnings remain in place for much of the country so we can expect the weather conditions to remain challenging. The disruption caused during the prolonged, heavy snowfall and strong winds means police and our partner agencies are still dealing with a number of issues right across our transport network, mostly on our roads.
Conditions remain very challenging and we continue to urge people not to travel in the affected areas. 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. We are asking people to avoid that area. Our 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.
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.”
Between 8am on Wednesday 28th February and am Thursday 1st March, Police Scotland control room staff had answered 8272 calls (999 calls 1892, 101 calls 6380). We are expecting that we will continue to deal with a high volume of calls and are asking the public to help us manage the level of demand by following @TrafficScotland for the latest on road closures. We would also request that if people are looking for advice on local transport services please call the provider directly or check their websites. Our 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.
Supported by their Armed Response colleagues on routine patrols across the country, our 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 3 feet were found by officers and guided to safety and shelter. A vulnerable elderly woman in Aberdeen and a vulnerable male who got separated from his coach party in Inverness were also traced safe and well.
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 and keep an eye on your local page @DGWGO
