Overtaking lane closed

THE overtaking lane on the A970 north of Lerwick will be closed for the remainder of the winter due to a significant number of loose stone chips on the road, Shetland Islands Council announced on Thursday.

The council’s roads department said that this had to be done as a precaution after the surface dressing failed to stand up to the relatively low temperatures of this winter.

A spokesman said: “Despite regular sweeping, a significant number of chips are still being dislodged from the road surface following each period of frost.

“The overtaking lane will be closed and the two lanes of traffic will be segregated with traffic cones until the end of winter when risk of cold weather has passed.”