Dozens of schools closed and travel disrupted amid snow and ice

Schools have been closed in the north of Scotland due to heavy snowfall in the region with disruption to travel amid a weather warning.

More than 30 schools have been fully closed in the Aberdeenshire region, while a number have partially opened or delayed their opening on Thursday.

A number of schools’ transport links are also not in operation, while some have decided to open for pupils who can get in safely.

Inverness Royal Academy informed pupils and parents the school was fully closed due to poor conditions.

It means prelims scheduled to take place on Thursday have been rescheduled.

Meanwhile Inverness High School and Charleston Academy both announced they will be closed due to the adverse weather.

Stagecoach buses confirmed on Thursday all services across Inverness were suspended due to road conditions.

The company said the cancellation notice would be reviewed and and further updates given at 10am.

The Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie has also closed due to heavy snow.

They said on X: “Due to heavy snow, it is not safe to open the park today.

“We’re sorry for any disappointment and will be contacting everyone who is pre-booked as soon as possible.”

More than 100 schools or nurseries were closed on Wednesday, with 52 shut in the Highland Council area, 51 in Aberdeenshire, 11 in Moray and two in Shetland.

On the A9, a fallen tree on the road north of Tore Roundabout near to Bogbuie closed the carriageway in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The Met Office issued multiple yellow warnings this week for large parts of Scotland after snow and ice affected a number of areas across the country.

Train travel was disrupted and a bus overturned in Aberdeenshire while a man died in a crash involving four vehicles on the A9 earlier this week.

On Wednesday, a car burst into flames on the A96 near Inverurie and lorry jack-knifed on the A9 at Daviot in the Highlands forcing roads to be closed.

Gritters have been out in force amid weather warnings for snow and ice with the coldest temperature recorded overnight on Tuesday being -11.2C in Braemar.

A current warning for snow and ice remains in place across Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire until midday on Thursday.