Forth Road Bridge to stay shut during rush hour amid lorry recovery operation

Continued strong winds have delayed removal of the vehicle. (Amey/PA Wire)

THE Forth Road Bridge will remain closed during the evening rush-hour as work continues to repair the bridge after a lorry blew over in strong winds.

The bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles at the time, around 2am on Wednesday, and the 54-year-old male driver has been charged by police over the incident.

Welders have been working to repair the central reservation which was damaged by the lorry.

There had been hopes of opening a lane of the northbound carriageway but Transport Scotland said the current closure will “remain in place through tonight’s PM peak”.

Operators said the lorry has now been removed from the bridge but “welding teams are going to be working through the night on repairs”.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said the lorry crash was “a very serious incident” that showed the consequences of ignoring travel advice during severe weather.

He said: “Luckily no-one was seriously injured, however a great deal of disruption has been caused and it is an extreme but timely reminder of the importance of listening to advice and checking travel bulletins and VMS messaging before travelling.

“Once again the engineers and Forth Road Bridge team find themselves in the spotlight and I am hopeful they will be able to get the bridge reopened to traffic as soon as possible, albeit with restrictions in both directions likely.

“They are carrying out very challenging repairs in difficult conditions and the damage to the central reservation is significant.”

Elsewhere, high winds have brought travel disruption and power cuts to other parts of the country.

A gust of 77mph was recorded in Tiree while South Uist was hit by one of 73mph.

Severe weather warnings for wind and snow remain in place for Wednesday and Thursday.

Forecaster Craig Snell said there could be “blizzard-like conditions across parts of Scotland”, leading to “some very tricky driving conditions”.

There is also a chance of thunder and lightning, which could disrupt the power supply and bring so-called “thundersnow”.

Rod Dennis, of the RAC, said drivers should be prepared for “tricky driving conditions and significantly extended journey times”.

Electricity distributor SP Energy Networks urged people to be prepared for power loss by taking steps such as keeping a battery-powered torch to hand, keeping a mobile phone charged and unplugging powered equipment such as TV and laptop as well as heaters, electric fires and cookers.

SP Energy Networks director Guy Jefferson said: “Although power cuts are rare events for most people, it makes sense to be prepared just in case.

“If there is a power outage, our team of engineers are on hand to fix faults and get people’s power supply back as soon as possible.

“Our customer service team also work around the clock to keep residents informed, provide advice and take reports of power loss – the quicker we are alerted to a power cut, the quicker we can respond.”