Last Night many drivers were caught in the snow storm that brought the M74 to a standstill even though Gritters, Snow Ploughs and emergency services battled to try and keep the regions roads open. With another Amber snow warning issued for tonight across parts of Dumfries and Galloway (Wednesday the 17th of January) Superintendent Graeme Galloway from Police Scotland is asking drivers to think carefully before making unnecessary journeys.
The Met Office have now issued a further Amber Warning (Be Prepared) for snow for southern Scotland between 2100 hours tonight Wednesday 17 January through until 0500 hours on Thursday 18 January 2018. This warning comes on top of the present Yellow Warning (Be Aware) for snow and ice which is currently in place for most of Scotland. This new Amber Warning will bring further snow to southern Scotland as was experienced late on Tuesday/early Wednesday, and which caused widespread travel chaos on the A74(M) and other roads in Dumfries and Galloway.
Superintendent Graeme Galloway from Police Scotland said “Even with a full scale response with snow ploughs and gritters on primary routes throughout the region, the main A74(M) did come to a standstill and many miles of standing traffic were delayed on both the north and southbound carriageways.
A number of other primary routes were also blocked by snow. Resources from the Moffat Mountain Rescue Team were deployed throughout the night to check on the welfare of those caught up in the standing traffic, however no serious incidents were reported.
The issue of another Amber Warning for our area means that once again resources are likely to be at full stretch tonight trying to keep our roads open. An Amber Warning carries the advice of Be Prepared, and as such I would ask members of the travelling public to first of all ask themselves the question about the necessity of their journey, and if they do need to travel, then please be prepared.
Carry an emergency kit, which should include, a torch and spare batteries, warm clothing and blankets, a pair of boots, first aid kit, food and a warm drink, and make sure that mobile phones are fully charged. I would also urge people travelling through our region to check ahead with weather forecasts and also to check ahead if their proposed travel route is clear. The Met Office weather warning system is designed to alert the public to forthcoming weather events and I would ask that the public pay heed to these warnings, so they are not caught out.”
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Image copyright DGvost
