Travel gets tricky after heavy snow hit overnight

Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife woke up to a thick blanket of snow this morning (weds) leaving commuters facing a treacherous journey to work.

All major routes remained open but several minor accidents caused problems and, further west, the M74 was closed in Lanarkshire.

Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight in a six mile tailback.

In Fife, sections of the A909 and A921 were closed while conditions were particularly tricky on the A720 Edinburgh bypass and the A701 was down to one lane in areas.

In Midlothian, Roslin Glen Road was shut along with Polton Road in Loanhead.

But the issues in the east were minor compared to the overnight closure of the M74 where mountain rescue teams were drafted in to check on drivers stuck in their vehicles for up to 10 hours,

The problem started when lorries got stuck, blocking gritters.

The Moffat Mountain Rescue team helped get the road clear by walking on the motorway and visiting drivers stuck in the tailbacks.

On Facebook, the team posted: "We appreciate lots of people have been stuck for a number of hours however we now appear to be over the worst of the snow.

Police Scotland warned there is a high risk of disruption for journeys and said drivers of HGVs should drive with extreme caution.

"Winter driving is a question of common sense and drivers should ask themselves if they really need to travel when conditions are poor," police said in a statement.

"If you are travelling on the roads, you should ensure you and your vehicle are adequately prepared for the conditions.

"Make sure you have sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food and water in the event you are delayed for several hours," officers added