Van ploughs into ditch during gusting winds

Icy weather, flooding roads and strong winds led to traffic delays in some areas across Scotland over the weekend.

This comes as the  Met Office warned of snow and ice leading to traffic and rail delays.

In one incident on Saturday, a courier van left a remote road while on a parcel delivery route.

Pegasus Couriers Aberdeen on-site manager, Darren Henderson, said that the incident was largely due to strong winds and icy road surfaces.

“The wind was howling in the North of Scotland and all drivers were aware of the weather forecast. The wind was so strong on Saturday afternoon that one of our vans blew off the road near Keith, about 50 miles from Aberdeen. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured and the van only sustained minimal damage,” he said. “When the van slid off the road, it landed in the ditch with two of the tyres not touching the ground. Due to this, efforts to pull the van out of the ditch were unsuccessful. Eventually, we arranged a truck with a crane to lift the van and place it back on the road.”

Pegasus Couriers Regional manager Michal Zwierzynski said that the parcels were collected by a standby driver who continued the deliveries in such circumstances. “We preplan for almost any incident. While this is an unusual incident, it does happen before. To counter any delays to our deliveries,  we have backup drivers to assist.”