HGV topples as high winds hit
The Forth Road Bridge was closed to high sided vehicles at the time.
Lorry drivers are being urged to stay off the Erskine Bridge this morning after an HGV was blown over causing a total closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
The incident happened at around 2am this morning.
No-one was injured but the bridge is likely to remain closed for some time as high winds hamper recovery efforts.
The bridge operators said it was closed to high-sided vehicles at the time.
Mark Arndt of Amey said: "The bridge is closed in both directions and we are doing everything we can to reopen the route as soon as possible.
"It's most likely that we'll be able to reopen one lane of the northbound carriageway later today, however we will need a crane to remove the HGV from the southbound carriageway, and this work is highly dependent on the prevailing wind speeds.
"We are continuing to monitor the forecast and have a team mobilised and ready to respond as soon as it is safe to do so, but it is very likely the bridge will remain closed through the morning peak.
"We know that closing the bridge has a serious impact on people's journeys and it's regretful that this situation has arisen."
Tricky driving conditions are expected on Wednesday as gusts of up to 75mph and wintry weather sweep across northern areas of the UK.
Gale-force winds and blizzard-like conditions could bring travel chaos to some parts of the country.
Yellow weather warnings for wind and snow across much of Scotland and the north of England have been issued by the Met Office for all of Wednesday.
Several centimetres of snow could settle on higher ground in parts of Scotland, while lower areas will receive a dusting.
Forecaster Craig Snell said the snow could lead to dangerous conditions on the roads and the strong winds could force bridge closures and cause lorry buffeting.
He said the winds would drop off during the afternoon but pick up again by Wednesday evening, leading to a combination of wind and snow.
The mix could bring "blizzard-like conditions across parts of Scotland'' leading to some very tricky driving conditions".
There is also a chance of thunder and lightning, which could disrupt the power supply and bring so-called "thundersnow".
Mr Snell added that it would be a very unsettled and cold day across the northern half of the country''.
Temperatures may drop to minus 5C (23F) in parts of Scotland.