Gritters struggle in first snow

COMMUTERS on Tuesday morning struggled to get to work in snowy conditions despite all the council’s gritters having been deployed.

Shetland Islands Council’s roads department said that two gritters had broken down in Whalsay and the west mainland, while a third was out of action due to a flat battery. All were back on the road by lunchtime.

Network engineer Neil Robertson said the conditions of packed snow and ice were proving hard to clear with salt and grit, so he urged drivers to check their tyres and take care on the roads.

Several vehicles were reported to have gone off the highway during the morning, with an ambulance being called out to Yell where a car had blocked the main road near the West Yell cemetery between 6.15am and 7am. No injuries were reported.

Meanwhile forecasters are predicting strong west and south westerly winds up to severe gale force with heavy rain on Tuesday night into Wednesday with the approach of an Icelandic low.

Ferry operators NorthLink have Wednesday night’s sailing from Lerwick to Aberdeen under review with the possibility of avoiding the stop at Kirkwall. A decision will be made at 10am on Wednesday morning.

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