Scots councils pay for weather forecast

By Cara Sulieman

THREE SCOTS councils are shelling out £90,000 for someone to predict the weather.

Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils are paying the Met Office to provide them with a detailed forecast so they can decide how much grit is needed for roads in their area.

It comes after the country was brought to a standstill last winter when local authorities across Scotland ran out of salt.

But motoring organisations say they need to prepare for a bad winter no matter what the forecast says to avoid a repeat of last year’s chaos.

Do you know who unfortunate learner driver was?

By Michael MacLeod

A BLUNDERING learner driver caused dozens of residents from a street called PARK Terrace to be evacuated – when she drove into the side of a house during a botched three-point turn sparking a gas alert.

The woman driver’s prang burst a water pipe, flooding the street, and caused a gas pipe to rupture sparking panic.

Fire-fighters were scrambled to the scene and were forced to put out a birthday BBQ party quickly across the road for fear of explosion.

They later apologised for spoiling the party, but residents insisted the student driver was to blame for “lurching forward.”

Both the learner and the BSM instructor escaped unscathed and abandoned the Fiat 500 Pop car before fleeing to safety.

Victory for Johnny after standoff with parking wardens

By Cara Sulieman and Paul Thornton

A DRIVER gave hope to motorists across the country today when he took on Edinburgh’s notorious parking wardens – and won.

Range Rover-driving Johnny Higgins spotted his car being lifted onto the back of a flatbed lorry after overstaying a parking ticket by just 40 minutes.

Threatened with a £150 fine to get his £35,000 motor back, quick-thinking Mr Higgins leapt into the driver’s seat and refused to budge, sparking an hour-long standoff.

Police were called in to diffuse the situation but the wardens eventually gave in, telling him: “Fair play to you.”

Cut-price electric cars in Scotland thanks to Chinese firms

By Rory Reynolds

CHINESE firms are planning to sell electric cars in Scotland for as little as £5,000.

Imports expected to arrive next year are set to slash the price of green cars, many of which are sold for around £20,000.

And currently many electric models have a range of just 60-70 miles, making them a luxury to all but the most eco-conscious drivers.

However, many of the new generation vehicles, made by firms like BYD, will top the 100-mile barrier, with some reaching a range of 200 miles.

Grit shortage fears after councils reveal a one day supply

By Rory Reynolds

SCOTLAND’S road network could be brought slithering to its knees by heavy snow again this week – because council chiefs have failed to stock up on salt and grit.

Local authorities were heavily criticised early in the New Year after stocks of road salt were allowed to run out.

But despite weather forecasters warning of heavy snow arriving across most parts this week, it has emerged many councils still don’t have enough supplies to cope.

Some revealed last night that they only have enough grit to last a few hours.

The Met Office has said it expects up to three days of snow north of the border later this week, sparking fears that untreated roads will become treacherous to drivers.

Workers show true grit to salt treacherous frozen roads

By Shaun Milne and Rory Reynolds

DOCKERS and road maintenance staff were working through their holidays last night in a desperate bid to help Scotland beat grit-lock by unloading emergency supplies of salt.

Crew aboard the Sea Ruby supply vessel sailed through the night on an hour 18-hour journey to bring a fresh supply of 2000 tonnes of salt to Edinburgh’s Port of Leith yesterday.

Workers immediately began unloading the precious cargo – as temperatures plunged to minus 10 in places – onto waiting trucks to help get supplies out to fleets of gritters across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

But with stocks only expected to last a few days, another shipment is already on stand-by to be sailed north, because trucks cannot cope with the treacherous road conditions.

The new supplies come as the AA warned they expect at least four times as many call-outs today  as Scotland gets back to work.

Snow hits Scotland’s East coast

Snow in Edinburgh

By Shaun Milne and Cara Sulieman

SCOTLAND was in the grip of a white hell last night – with little hope of any respite going into Christmas.

Police pleaded with people to stay and home and not travel as the country was hit by yet more snow storms.

The Met Office was forced to issue at least two severe weather warnings as blizzard conditions hit parts of the country.

In some areas temperature plunged to as low as minus 16 degrees.

Ice and treacherous driving conditions was said to be affecting the entire road network as gritting contractors struggled to clear routes.

Severe weather alerts as snow storms close in on UK

By Andrea McCallum

SCOTS travellers are being warned to beware of plunging temperatures and travel chaos as heavy snow hits this weekend – with forecasters issuing early weather warnings for much of the country.

The worst of the snowfall was expected to hit south-east Britain overnight, but sleet and ice were being predicted to cause misery in the north.

The Met Office also issued an early warning of “severe or extreme” weather to affect many parts of Scotland.

Today  (thurs) its website predicted risk of disruption across south-west Scotland, Lothian and Borders and Dumfries and Galloway by Sunday.

It warned heavy snow – between five and 10 centimetres – could also affect north and north west Scotland over the same period.

Bookies Ladbrokes have already cut odds of a white Christmas in Glasgow down to 2/1 and Aberdeen 11/8.

Scots more likely to die in a fatal car crash involving a Vauxhall

By Cara Sulieman

SCOTS are more likely to die in a fatal car crash involving a Vauxhall than any motor, according to official statistics.

More Astra, Corsa and Vectra models are involved in deadly smashes on Scotland’s roads than any other make.

The data – obtained under the Freedom of Information Act – shows the three makes were involved in 116 fatal car crashes in Scotland between them over the last three years.

The Vauxhall Astra and Corsa were involved in 41 fatal crashes each in the last three years, and the Vectra was involved in 34.

Floods hit Scotland

By Cara Sulieman and Rory Reynolds

TORRENTIAL rain and flooding across parts of Scotland were feared to have claimed the life of at least one man today (thurs) – with forecasters warning of more bad weather to come over the weekend.

At least 20 rivers were last night subject to flood watches as heavy rainfall led to considerable train disruption and several key roads – including the A1 between Scotland and England – being closed to traffic.

In West Lothian police and RAF search and rescue teams spent several hours searching the swollen River Almond near Livingston after reports of a man falling into the fast-flowing waters.

A distraught member of the public called Lothian and Borders Police at 9am to say that they had seen the man fall into the river from a footbridge in the Kirkton area of the town.