Snow closes most island schools

MOST of Shetland’s schools had to close on Friday morning due to the continuing wintry weather.

By 8am Shetland Islands Council had notified parents that 15 schools would not open, but that number had grown to 22 schools by lunchtime.

Four schools at Scalloway, Bressay, Nesting and Mid Yell decided to send children home after classes began.

An SIC spokeswoman said that it had been up to individual schools to decide whether to open or not.

Transport around the isles has been affected with several minor road accidents but no injuries.

Local police advised drivers to stay at home, saying that they were sending their own office staff home on Friday afternoon due to the forecast.

The council’s roads department said that the roads had been cleared of snow, but with the snow turning wetter as the wind moved to the south west, slushy conditions were making the roads slippery.

Sumburgh airport was closed during Friday morning but reopened around noon, with passengers being warned that they should expect delays.

Scatsta airport reported that oil industry fixed wing flights to and from Aberdeen were managing to get in and out of the isles, while helicopter flights offshore were running slightly behind schedule.

However islanders on Foula and Fair Isle have been cut off from air travel for two days with no flights able to land on Thursday or Friday due to accumulations of snow on the runways.

Forecasters were saying that temperatures were set to fall to -4°C overnight, with more snow due to fall on Friday afternoon particularly in the north of the islands.

Snow showers will die down during the night only to start again around 4am, but the cold weather should ease on Monday.