'Icy hell' in Wick
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CONDITIONS across Caithness were described as "atrocious" on Monday and Tuesday with many condemning what they saw as a lack of gritting on pavements and roads.
At around 7am on Monday the X99 bus was seen sliding down the full length of Whitechapel Road in Wick and hitting the Poundstretcher store.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "This was a one-vehicle road crash where a bus struck a building around 7.05am on Monday at St Fergus Road in Wick. No injuries."
Photos have shown damage to roof tiles on the exterior of the building, while some windows on the bus were shattered.
An elderly woman, Margaret McDonald, who was visiting from Dalmarnock, said she had to be helped to reach her car at Wick's riverside car park on Monday morning.
"It's really atrocious – just an icy hell and no sign of gritting at all," she said.
People throughout the county vented their feelings on social media with many commenting on a lack of gritting by Highland Council.
Karen Binnie Douglas in Wick said: "Walking the dog was an absolute nightmare. The paths and roads were very slippery."
Margaret Crawford, also in Wick, reported on Tuesday that Leith Walk was particularly bad and when she went to work at 7.15am she slid "round the corner". She added there was "no grit yesterday and no grit today."
Keith Bramhall said on Tuesday morning: "I work as a school crossing patroller for Miller Academy in Thurso and yesterday was horrendous underfoot, especially on the corner of Castlegreen Road/Princes Street – it was like a skating rink."
Lynn Gunn, also in Thurso, said there was "no grit here in Thurso. Like a bottle".
Jennifer Ronaldson from Wick commented on Tuesday: "The gritters are just driving around and not putting any grit out – shocking really."
She described the Sibster/Gillock road near Lochshell as "horrendous".
Meg Sinclair from Dunbeath had some sympathy for the local authority and thought "it must be difficult coordinating who needs to go out, which paths/side-roads need gritting and where to deploy the gritting teams".
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “As per Highland Council’s winter gritting policy we do not operate a 24-hour service. Our operations, Monday to Saturday, commence at 6am and continue until 9pm. There is no overnight service.
"On Sundays and days classed as public holidays a restricted service is provided which starts at 7am.”
The spokesperson added: “On Monday, November 18, in Caithness routes according to policy and priority were treated and routes with black ice were treated with salt and also parts with white frost. Road surface temperatures remained low into morning. Wick town was badly affected with black ice.”
Berriedale and other parts of the A9 were highlighted in a recent motoring survey as the worst affected by wintry conditions in Scotland.
In Wick this week there were reports of cars skidding on the steep road at Scalesburn and pedestrians falling on Tolbooth Lane.
Emma Keenan said that Loch Street, Upper Dunbar Street and Argyle Square were hard to walk on and she "slipped over three times in the space of 20 minutes" while walking her dogs. "Pavements and roads so dangerous, no grit anywhere – God help any elderly who need to go out," she added.
The cold snap is not expected to last, with moderate south-easterly winds forecast.
