Borders snow clearance battle continues

Major efforts were under way to clear the streets of towns like Jedburgh after heavy snowfalls in recent days. Picture by Richard Gordon

Clearance efforts are continuing in the Scottish Borders to cope with heavy snowfalls which hit the region.

There was some respite after less snow than expected on Wednesday but icy conditions have hindered the clear-up.

All schools in the region have been closed until Monday as a result of the bad weather across the area.

Drivers have been asked not to take to the roads as conditions remain treacherous. One man died in a crash on the A1 in the region on Wednesday.

AT THE SCENE Cameron Buttle, BBC Scotland, near Melrose It started looking really bad on Tuesday night when I was driving back through the central Borders. I had just reported live from Coldstream, forecasters were saying the snow was moving south from Aberdeenshire. Right then it was cold, but clear. Within a couple miles I was struggling, eyes firmly fixed on the tracks left by the car in front of me. A slight drift from them and the steering wheel spun in my hand. It got worse through Kelso, Maxton and St Boswells, I drove up past the Scottish Borders Council road depot following clearer tracks made by the gritters up the hill to my home in Bowden a few miles from Melrose. A neighbour helped push me into the drive. That was some 36 hours ago, I have not been able to get out of the village since. A special radio programme is being broadcast at 1700 GMT in the Borders on the snow situation. It will be available on 93.5FM across the region

Council teams have been gritting routes but with temperatures well below 0C it has proved problematic.

Both police and the local authority appealed to drivers to stay at home in order not to hamper snow clearance work.

A council spokeswoman said: "This will enable the road crews to get on with the job of clearing the region's network.

"Every effort is being made to get the Borders back to work on Monday."

All 74 schools in the region will remain shut until at least Monday due to the weather conditions.

Additional council services have targeted the primary and secondary sites in a bid to ensure they can reopen on that date.

Routine appointments at Borders General Hospital and community hospitals have been cancelled.

A helicopter was also forced to land at Melrose Cricket Ground to take a baby from the BGH to intensive care at Yorkhill in Glasgow.

An RAF Sea King has been stuck on the helipad at the hospital itself making it necessary for the other aircraft to use a different site.

The stuck helicopter was scrambled to bring in a heart attack patient from Peebles on Wednesday.

An RAF helicopter developed a technical fault at Borders General

A fresh RAF crew and engineers were working on the Sea King to try to get it back in the air but could not get out again.

The weather was too bad and then it developed a technical fault.

Anyone with urgent health care needs was being contacted by NHS Borders.

Police have also issued a warning to local people not to venture across frozen rivers or ponds.

A spokesman said: "While it may be tempting at this time of year, playing or walking on the ice is extremely dangerous.

"The ice is always likely to be insecure, which could lead to people plunging into the icy cold water below.

"The could result in serious injury or worse."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version