Swinney: Efforts focusing on recovery following heavy snow

The focus is now on recovery efforts following days of heavy snow which have brought disruption to northern Scotland, the First Minister has said.

All railway routes around the country are open apart from the section of railway between Brora and Wick/Thurso on the Far North Line while, on the roads, priority one routes in Aberdeenshire are open again.

However, hundreds of schools remain closed for a fourth day due to the weather, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number of those in Moray and Orkney.

It comes after 440 schools were shut on Wednesday across a number of councils, amounting to 18% of the entire school estate, with remote learning being provided in many cases.

A yellow warning of snow and ice for the whole of Scotland was in force until midday on Thursday.

First Minister John Swinney said efforts have turned to recovery rather than dealing with the immediate incident.

He said: “We’ve had a period of really intense and heavy snowfall in certain parts of Scotland, particularly the North East, the Highlands and the Northern Isles and the Western Isles, and the government has been closely engaged with local resilience partnerships throughout that series of amber warnings, and those amber warnings have gone on for a prolonged number of days.

“The challenge with the snow has been, quite simply, the volume, and we’ve had formidable resources available in the North East and in the Highlands to clear transport routes on the trunk roads and also on the rail network, which is the responsibility of the government.

“And we’ve been working closely with local authorities about snow clearing in their localities.”

He added: “The priority one routes in Aberdeenshire are all clear, and progress has been made on priority two routes, and that’s the case in the Highlands as well.

“We are, however, thankfully, in a position where we are able to focus more on recovery than dealing with the immediate incident, and that very much is the focus of all local resilience partnerships, and the government is supporting with the reallocation of resources where that is possible to do so.”

Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a “good chance” some rural communities would be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts.

The village of Insch in Aberdeenshire was cut off after getting nearly a foot of snow, with locals describing it as “one of the worst winters in 25 years”.

Resident Doug Griffin said: “There has been nothing like this since 2010, it is quite remarkable. It makes it really difficult to do anything.”

Network Rail Scotland said that services are running well across the country on Thursday, and that its teams are focused on reopening the remaining closed section of the Far North Line.

On the roads, Traffic Scotland said that the snow gates were shut at Cock Bridge to Tomintoul and at Bridge of Dye due to the weather conditions.

Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, said on Wednesday: “While the most severe weather has now abated, there is now significant work taking place to ensure that those hardest hit can return to as close to normality as possible.

“The fact that major transport links are open is significantly helping to ensure that people have access to the services and supplies they need.

“Work is now focusing to ensure that those who have experienced the most severe disruption, particularly the vulnerable, are being supported, with access routes and services reopened as soon as possible.”

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: “Local resilience partnerships are continuing to meet to co-ordinate and deliver the response to disruption experienced by communities in the north and north-east of Scotland following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

“We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.

“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”