Snow chaos or winter wonderland?

Iain Robertson • Published 1 Dec 2010 11:30 3 Comments

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ARCTIC conditions gripped Clackmannanshire with heavy snow wreaking havoc on the roads and forcing many schools to shut their doors.

The first flurries arrived on Friday night, and by Saturday morning, the Wee County was covered in a blanket of snow.

It created the perfect winter wonderland for happy couple Debbie McNeil, of Alloa, and Andrew Dick, of Denny, who can definitely claim they had a 'White Wedding'.

The couple were married in St Mungo's in Alloa, before holding their reception at the town's Dunmar House Hotel.

But the winter weather wasn't welcomed by everyone and by Monday morning, conditions had worsened considerably, with residents waking up to find the county in total white-out after plummeting overnight temperatures and further heavy snow.

The earliest widespread snowfall since 1993 has been causing misery for commuters but Clackmannanshire Council insist they are on top of the situation.

Councillor Eddie Carrick, Sustainability Portfolio Holder, told the Advertiser, "Clackmannanshire Council currently has around 3900 tonnes of rock salt in stock.

"That is three times the amount we use in a normal winter and 500 tonnes more than we used last winter.

"We have seven road gritters with demountable ploughs and 11 footway mini tractors with gritter bodies and ploughs.

"There are 27 people in the roads workforce and we can also call on cleansing and lands staff if the need arises.

"We are fully prepared and confident that our system is robust, as last winter we were able to keep main roads open throughout the bad weather.

"So far, Muckhart Primary is the only school where we cannot get access due to snow (on Monday), although unfortunately other schools have had to close because teachers have been unable to travel in from further afield."

Motoring organisation the AA received 7500 breakdown calls nationwide by 10am on Monday – more than double the normal number for this time of year.

Across the country airports had to shut, thousands of homes were left without electricity and a staggering 30,000 tonnes of salt arrived from Peru at the port of Leith earlier in the week to help efforts.

On Monday, Alloa, Alva and Lornshill academies, Sauchie Nursery, Lochies, Claremont, Fishcross, Strathdevon, Muckhart, Park, St John's, Abercromby primary schools closed.

Also, the Primary and Secondary Support Services were closed.

But it wasn't bad news for all, as many school kids grabbed their sledges and took to the slopes for some early winter fun.

As forecasters warned that the cold snap will get worse this week, with temperatures plunging as low as -20C, police were urging drivers to exercise extreme care.

Several roads in the Central Scotland Police area were closed for spells on Sunday and Monday, although mostly in the Stirlingshire area, with delays on all the major routes, including the A80, M80 and M876.

Chief Inspector Donald McMillan, head of roads policing, said, "The weather conditions have led to significant problems on the roads network.

"We are still asking motorists to only undertake their journeys if absolutely necessary.

"If you are making a journey by car, please ensure you have the maximum visibility by clearing all snow from your windows.

"Some drivers are taking to the roads with windscreens obscured by snow."

Residents are being urged to do what they can to help keep the county moving.

Councillor Carrick added, "We do encourage people to do their bit by helping to keep local footpaths clear while we concentrate on the major routes and busy areas. We'll be updating our website and Twitter feed with any bad weather updates when necessary."

Local MSP Keith Brown, meanwhile, has paid tribute to emergency service personnel and council roads staff for their efforts in difficult conditions.

Mr Brown said, "We have seen some extremely heavy snowfall in recent days and with more forecast it is important that everyone keeps warm at home and takes care on the roads.

"If you are going to be travelling remember to keep an eye on weather forecasts and travel information outlets and it is even more important at this time of year to remember to be a good neighbour.

"Look out for those around you, particularly the elderly and other vulnerable people.

"Bad weather of this nature means that while some are unable to get to their work, others have to work harder than ever trying to get things running as smoothly as possible. The council's roads' staff work extremely hard in very difficult conditions at times like this and we should remember the important work that they do.

"NHS and emergency service workers also provide a vital service at this time with weather conditions adding considerably to their workload and the difficulties they have to contend with. I would ask people to support them and to take care only to call out the emergency services in the case of a genuine emergency."

For updates on what's happening at local level, visit www.clacksweb.org.uk/ – and to keep up-to-date on the roads go to http://trafficscotland.org/

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 01 Dec 10

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Dec 1, 16:26
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Happy Parent
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Dec 1, 16:36
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That family with the Igloo have the right idea! If it is too dangerous to drive get dressed warm, go out into the garden and play with your kids- how refreshing to see this- hope they had a nice pot of winter soup on the go for afterwards! While you are at it you could clear the path outside your house like the rest of Europe does and stop expecting the overstretched council to come and do it!

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snowball
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Dec 2, 10:00
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I agree about clearing snow outside your house also shop keepers in the town could do the same - used to be done years ago when people had pride in their town and didn't expect anyone but themselves to keep the place clean and tidy. I had to slide my way into the bank - not even a path cleared! At least Tesco had a bloke clearing the car park - don't know if any other supermarkets had but well done them!

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David Cleffman
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Dec 2, 17:39
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Seems they had a great time there.

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