Snow blankets Clydesdale

EVERY school in South Lanarkshire was closed on Tuesday as Scotland's big freeze continued to bring chaos and disruption throughout central Scotland.

Amid unprecedented scenes of hundreds of motorists being stuck in their cars overnight on Scotland's snow covered motorways for up to 14 hours, police warned drivers in the central belt not to travel on Tuesday morning.

Frustrated and frozen car and lorry drivers sat nose to tail on the M8 motorway on Monday night and into Tuesday morning, as temperatures plummeted below -10 degrees.

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On Monday night the Army was drafted in to provide 4x4 vehicle support to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mountain rescue teams, the Red Cross and the Coastguard also gave assistance to the service in what it described as "horrendous" conditions.

Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said that the road operating companies and local councils had been "making terrific efforts" to deal with the conditions, but added: "It simply hasn't delivered for the people who are stuck there."

This week's heavy snow and freezing temperatures also caused the country's public transport network to grind to a halt.

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In response to the severe weather conditions across South Lanarkshire, which saw temperatures again dip well below freezing, the council decided to shut schools.

For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.