First serious snow of winter disrupts transport services
Rosalind Griffiths
The first serious snow of winter brought the gritters out and caused disruption to transport services. Flights in and out of Sumburgh were cancelled last night, and although today’s early morning flights to Kirkwall and Aberdeen got away more or less on time, other departures were subject to delays of anything up to an hour-and-a-half.
This morning’s early flight from Aberdeen arrived only 20 minutes late but all subsequent arrivals are subject to delay. Airport manager Nigel Flaws said the delays were due to snow last night, and the airport is “open for operations as normal”.
Flights in and out of Scatsta have been operating normally.
No school closures have been reported as conditions are not bad enough for a “blanket” closure to be ordered.
This morning a Kia car was on its roof in the ditch at Cunningsburgh following an accident at around 8am.
An earlier flurry of snow on Friday resulted in three people being hurt in two accidents. One person was taken to hospital around noon following a two-vehicle collision on the A968 Voe to Mossbank road in which one ended up on its roof. The injured person was later allowed home.
Emergency services were called to deal with an accident on the A970 at Fladdabister Straights at around 12.10pm.
The car also ended up on its roof and although the two occupants were not trapped they were both hurt. They were taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital for treatment but their injuries were not serious.
The council’s roads department has a good supply of road salt and another load is expected during the course of the winter.
Ben Allinson
There was only one occupant in the Fladdabister Straights accident and was taken to Hospital and released later.
Alan Skinner
Monday evening – 10.30 p.m. I have just driven from Sumburgh to Yell in treacherous conditions on totally untreated roads. No salt, no grit – no nothing! It took well over an hour from Lerwick to Toft in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Is this part of the SIC cuts or does nobody in the roads department read The Shetland Times online? Your photograph accompanying the above story should have given them a clue that snow can be dangerous.
Tom Robertson
That just goes to show how quickly conditions can change. We travelled up from Lerwick to catch the five past nine ferry from toft last night with no problems at all in out little two wheel drive car. There was a bit of slush in the kames but nothing to cause any problems if you took your time. The gritters work from 6 to 6 as they always have and did a great job of clearing everything up yesterday. They cant help what happens after that.
Keep up the good work gritty boys, it is much appreciated despite comments like the one from Mr Skinner.
Tom.