15 January 2024

Around 200 schools in north of Scotland closed due to snow and ice

15 January 2024

Around 200 schools in the north of Scotland have been closed due to adverse weather as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice.

The warning is in effect for all of Scotland north of Fort William in the west and Stonehaven in the east.

The warning also includes the Hebrides, Orkney and the Shetland Isles.

Aberdeenshire Council announced on its website that more than 100 of its schools are closed to pupils or to all students and staff.

Several other schools faced delayed openings, the local authority said.

Sixty schools in the Highland Council region are fully shut, with 18 other schools either partially closed or disrupted.

Twelve schools in the Moray Council area are closed and a further three are either partially closed or are facing disruption due to the weather.

One Aberdeen City Council school is fully closed and 30 others have faced delayed openings or school transport issues.

Twenty-three schools in the Shetland Isles are closed, with just five still open.

Customers should check their journey before they travel, keeping an eye on our website, app, or social media feeds for live updates

Public transport is also likely to be affected.

Scotrail currently has no planned cancellations. However, three trains between Perth and Inverness were cancelled on Monday morning.

Customer operations director Phil Campbell said: “We are currently working with our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland to assess the impact of the weather on the railway infrastructure, and we may need to make some changes to services.

“Customers should check their journey before they travel, keeping an eye on our website, app, or social media feeds for live updates.”

Meanwhile, ferry operator CalMac has also announced that a number of its services have been affected by the adverse weather, including its Ullapool-Stornoway route.

The Met Office warned that roads may be affected, and said there is a “small chance” of power cuts and mobile phone coverage may decline.

It also said rural communities could become cut off and snow-covered roads may lead to stranded vehicles and passengers.

The yellow warning is expected to extend to the rest of Scotland on Tuesday.

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