Storm Gerrit has brought widespread disruption across Scotland, with much of the country battered by snow, high winds and heavy rain. The A9 reopened on Wednesday night after motorists stranded by the snow were freed. However, disruption to public transport caused by the storm will last into Thursday morning. Some areas have been hit by flooding, including the Fife town of Cupar and the Whitesands area of Dumfries.
About 16,000 properties in the north of Scotland were still without power on Wednesday night. Much of Scotland was covered by a Met Office yellow weather warning on Wednesday. A yellow warning covering Shetland extended until 06:00 on Thursday morning. The Scottish government said it had activated its resilience operation. The A9 was shut for hours on Wednesday due to heavy snow which left drivers trapped in their vehicles near Drumtocher in the Highlands.
Miles of vehicles stuck on the route were freed after an operation involving six snow ploughs and three tractors. Police Scotland said that the road was now “passable with care”. The force urged drivers to exercise caution.
It came after Highland Council declared a major incident on the route. Richard Nasmyth was travelling home to Bristol with his wife and daughter when the weather worsened, leaving them trapped on the A9 for more than six hours. He said: “When we set off from Loch Laggan, it was just raining and the snow was actually melting away, it was looking all right. “The skies opened and within minutes it was a complete whiteout, the traffic had come to an absolute halt and we were going nowhere.”
In Dumfries, the River Nith burst its banks on Wednesday night. This resulted in the closure of the Whitesands to traffic. Residents of the Fife town of Cupar had to be rescued from their homes by emergency services after severe flooding. Specialist boats were brought in from Perth and Stirling to help with rescue efforts in the Burnside area. British Transport Police said its officers and the fire brigade were called out after reports that a train had struck a tree near Broughty Ferry station.
Pictures showed extensive damage to the driver’s carriage. The train drivers’ union, Aslef, said the driver was shaken, but not hurt, external. The passengers on board were evacuated safely and there were no reports of any injuries. Elsewhere on the railways, ScotRail said disruption would continue into Thursday. The rail operator said, external safety checks would be required on closed routes before services could resume.
