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Everyone in our street ended up digging out their driveways over the last couple of days and piling up snow at the side of the road. When the gritters finally decided to make and appearance they ended up getting stuck in the snow piles we had built up. I felt a bit bad looking on as the poor guy had to perform a 78 point turn in cul de sac to get back down the road.

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Could be "Fun in Fife" (never thought I would say that !) tomorrow...... Especially if the snow that is expected tomorrow materialises.

Fife Council Website

FIFE Council, along with many other councils in Scotland, has been left with critically low levels of salt for treating the Kingdom’s roads because of delivery failures from their suppliers.

Councillor Tony Martin, Chair of the Environment, Enterprise and Transportation Committee, said: “Gritting teams in Fife have been working relentlessly day and night over the festive period, in the most severe weather conditions in many years, in an attempt to keep as much of Fife’s extensive road network open as possible. This has meant that priority has had to be given to main routes. Residential routes and footways have therefore received much less attention.”

Fife, in preparation for winter maintenance activities, operates a salt management system and the contract stipulates that salt stock levels cannot go below a minimum of 3,500 tonnes, which in normal winter conditions would last at least three to four weeks, to ensure there are always adequate supplies in stock.

However, recent severe and prolonged adverse weather across Scotland, thought to be the worst conditions in 20 years, has led to an increased demand on all Scotland’s salt suppliers, meaning Fife and other councils have received much less salt than expected.

Dr Bob McLellan, Fife Council Head of Transportation, said: “This is a situation that we and other councils never expected to find ourselves in as we had no reason to believe that our salt suppliers did not have enough reserves of salt to fulfill their contractual obligations to the council.

“However, our supplier has let us down badly and we are now in the position that we are likely to run out of salt altogether by tonight (Sunday 3RD January) or tomorrow morning (Monday 4th January) dependent upon the severity of weather conditions.

“Today and for the last two weeks we have been working night and day to try and source additional salt for the roads. Most, if not all Scottish councils, appear to be in a very similar situation and stock levels are at critically low levels in many councils across Scotland.

“We will continue to assert pressure on our suppliers for more salt and will continue our efforts to find supplies from elsewhere. At the moment we are anticipating a further delivery on Tuesday morning the quantity of which at this moment is not known.

“We have been in contact with the Resilience Unit within the Scottish Government since before Christmas to alert them to the possibility of diminishing salt stock levels in Fife and other Scottish councils, and to the possibility of a critical situation manifesting itself across many areas of Scotland.

“To be unable to grit the roads is our worst case scenario as public safety is always of the utmost importance to us. Obviously, if we are unable to grit the roads there will be a potential increased risk to the public and we urge everyone to exercise extreme caution when travelling and venturing outdoors.

“We will keep the public informed of updates to this situation through the local radio stations and newspapers, our contact centre and of course this FifeDirect website “

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Harthill to junc 4/3 is terrible. Main road linking the two major cities.I would laugh but it isn't funny.

It was yesterday. I decided, in my wisdom, that I should do the done thing and visit my mother as close to the 1st as I could. I left the house at 2 50pm for what is normally an approx one hour 15 minute journey. The roads were fine until just after the Airdrie turn-off on the M8 when it became a white-out - heavy snow, roads crap, idiots whizzing in the fast lane far too close to each other. Absolute nightmare. When I arrived on the outskirts of Kirkliston there was a tail-back all the way out the village - cars were turning back as the hill was iced up and no-one could get up it. I about turned, phoned my mum, my brother and hubby to say I was just gonna go home. However by this time I had taken the wrong lane at the Newbridge roundabout and was heading into Edinburgh when I wanted to head back towards Glasgow. I pulled in and sat for a wee while (well, cried really). I then decided to head down the back road into Kirkliston to see if the road was actully closed or if I could park at the bottom. When I was nearly there a car coming the other way advised me that I wouldn't get into the village so as my sister lived near the farm there I went up towards her house. She was out, shopping at the Gyle. Thought we would leave the car at hers and walk the track into the village. Decided against that when I saw how icy the steps down were. It was still snowing at this point so I was unsure about the drive back up the M8 so thought I would just head down to the village and see what was happening. Police at the bottom of the road advising not to go into village. He asked where I was heading back to and when I said Ayrshire he replied "good luck with that then". He then said I could go along and try and park at the bottom of the hill but to make sure I was well up on the curb as when the gritter came (if it ever actually arrived) it would stop for nothing. I managed to skid along the road, parked the car then Cal and I walked up to my mums. We arrived just after 6pm - over 3 hours from leaving the house. Later my sister texted to say there were folk sledging down Path Brae so we headed out in the snow to have a look. It was 9ish by then. The road was cleared so I eventually managed to get my car up the hill and up to my mums.

Upside - on the way back Cal built loads of snowmen. I think it's the most snow we've ever had that he can remember as there's not much at our bit.

Capy, the missus just phoned, she said she gave up after an hour and a half trying to get across the bridge to Fife last night, and the delay was anything up to three hours.

Is that correct?

Yes, it was. There was an four car accident on the Forth Road Bridge yesterday. Can't remember what time but my mum told me on my first attempt to get into the village. That's why I didn't take the option of going onto the M9 and heading for the Bridge to then come into Kirky from South Queensferry.

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Is there more snow forecast for Fife?

Every weather report I've checked has made out that it's going to be clear....

All the forecasts I've seen have suggested it will be clear through the day but one of them did suggest there could be a dusting of snow in the evening.

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Is there more snow forecast for Fife?

Every weather report I've checked has made out that it's going to be clear....

Not today.....tomorrow and Wednesday on the other hand? Snow joke its going to be quite bad according to my trusted sources (Met office and BBC :P)

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Can't believe the ground is still all white here, and I'm back to school tomorrow. Getting home without falling over is always a nightmare. :lol:

It's been at least 3 weeks now, FFS!

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Can't believe the ground is still all white here, and I'm back to school tomorrow. Getting home without falling over is always a nightmare. :lol:

It's been at least 3 weeks now, FFS!

What are the roads like in Stirling, Mr T? I'm driving back through today and could do with a little confirmation that they're pretty clear.

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What are the roads like in Stirling, Mr T? I'm driving back through today and could do with a little confirmation that they're pretty clear.

I'm not in Stirling at the mo, but was talking to my flatmates today, and they tell me that the roads have mostly been gritted, and driving isn't too bad.

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Temperatures are dropping again, snow forecast for at least 3 days this week :D Think I'm going to plan a sledging trip this weekend.

Nightmare - back to work in Glasgow tomorrow and can only leave at 4pm. Need to be at The Corn Exchange for 5's at 5.30pm :(

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