Snow closes schools and airports
FALLING and drifting snow caused transport problems on Shetland’s roads and airports on Thursday, as islanders prepared themselves for up to six inches to fall overnight.
Flights in and out of Sumburgh were cancelled or ran late during Thursday morning and the airport had to close altogether during the afternoon as conditions worsened.
At the Scatsta oil airport no helicopters were able to carry workers offshore and only three out of nine fixed wing flights made it off the ground.
Police reported two single vehicle road accidents at Fladdabister and in Lerwick, where a car skidded and crashed into a bollard on the roundabout outside Tesco.
Police warned drivers that roads were slippery and advised them to stay at home unless their journey was essential.
The weather closed three schools in the morning at Uyeasound, Baltasound and Unst. The schools at Mossbank and Olnafirth closed at lunchtime and children at Skeld, Sandness and Happyhansel, in Walls, were sent home early at 2.30pm.
The council will decide in the morning whether or not the schools will open on Friday.
Shetland Islands Council’s roads department said that all the islands’ 23 gritter trucks were busy on Thursday and there was plenty of salt available to grit the roads.
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