Lorry carrying charity donations jack-knifes on A9

A jackknifed lorry on the A9 near Carrbridge in the Highlands

A lorry belonging to a Highland-based charity jack-knifed in snowy weather on the A9.

Blythswood Care's truck was collecting donations from across Scotland, when the accident took place on the A9, north of Aviemore, at about 08:30.

The cab was written off and the trailer severely damaged, but the driver was unhurt.

The charity provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief with a specific focus on children in emergencies.

The lorry was collecting clothing for the charity's shops, donations for Romania, Albania and Bulgaria, and items for Scottish foodbanks.

Public support

Operations manager Ian Matheson said: "We pray each day for the safety of our drivers and we are thankful that no-one was hurt.

"Our collections today and tomorrow in the Perth and Angus areas have had to be cancelled but we will try to resume collections scheduled for Peterhead and Fraserburgh on Thursday.

"We very much appreciate the ongoing support of the public."

Blythswood Care runs social care projects at home and overseas, including foodbanks across the Highlands. In 2013 it delivered £4 million of aid, and distributed approximately 2,000 tonnes of donated goods.

According to Traffic Scotland, the southbound A9 was blocked for 45 minutes.

Snow has fallen across large parts of the north of Scotland, affecting many roads in the Highlands.