Covid in Scotland: Snow impact on vaccinations 'concerning'

Nicola Sturgeon has admitted to concerns about the impact of poor weather conditions on the Covid vaccination programme.

However she said plans were in place to help protect the rollout of the jab during the wintry weather.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for "heavy and persistent" snow for much of the north of Scotland.

The Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Tayside and Perthshire are expected to be the worst affected.

During the Scottish government's coronavirus briefing, the first minister said: "Obviously we want people to get to vaccination centres.

"Clearly it (the weather warning) is concerning me and it made my heart sink a little bit, but as part of resilience planning there is gritting and snow clearing where necessary to keep the vaccine programme running as smoothly as possible."

Both NHS Grampian and Highland said people who were unable to attend vaccination centres due to adverse weather could rearrange their appointments.

Deep drifting snow

Earlier the Met Office updated its amber warning for snow with the poor weather now expected to arrive earlier than previously forecast.

The warning has been brought forward from midnight to 15:00 on Thursday.

The snow is also expected to pass sooner than forecast, with the warning ending at 06:00 on Saturday.

There are challenging conditions on the A96 between Keith and Huntly on Thursday

The Met Office said high ground could see an additional 50cm (19in) of snow.

An amber alert means risk of travel disruption, power cuts and potential risk to life.

Less severe yellow warnings for snow and ice have been issued for much of the rest of Scotland for Thursday, the weekend and Monday. These warnings extended from Orkney to the Scottish Borders.

Deep drifting snow has already caused some travel disruption with the Highland Main Line blocked in the Cairngorms.

Network Rail Scotland said the line had been closed at Dalwhinnie and would be reopened as soon as possible using a snow plough, but warned of disruption to services.

Engineers have also been digging snow clear from railway points, installations which help guide trains from one line to another, including at Tomatin south of Inverness.

Network Rail said deep snow drifts had been encountered by its teams along the line.

Parts of Scotland have seen snow and icy conditions since the end of last year. The heaviest falls have been over hills and mountains.

Snow at the Slochd south of Inverness seen from a Network Rail train

Railway engineers have been digging deep snow away from railway points on the Highland Main Line

Network Rail Scotland's locomotive which has been patrolling the Highland Main Line

The Met Office said areas under the amber warning could see up to 15cm (6in) of snow at low levels, and up to 30cm (12in) could accumulate on land above 150m (492ft).

It said some high ground exposed to strong easterly winds could see blizzards and as much as half a metre of snow building up by Saturday evening.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson urged travellers to heed the weather warning.

He added: "It's important to remember the current Covid restrictions mean you should only be leaving your home for an essential purpose.

"Please consider if your journey is absolutely necessary before setting off, especially if you're in the amber warning area."

Cawdor Estate said it was experiencing its first "proper winter" in years

Parts of Scotland have seen snow and icy conditions since the end of last year. The heaviest falls have been over hills and mountains.

Cawdor Estate, near Nairn, said it was seeing the deepest snow in its first "proper winter" for about 10 years.