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Haulage industry fury after Sturgeon blames them for roads chaos
The First Minister criticised transport bosses for sending drivers out on the roads, despite a weather red alert and official warnings to avoid non-essential journeys amid the Arctic conditions.
However, industry leaders insisted that most were attempting to ferry vital goods and criticised a lack of roadside facilities north of the Border.
The row erupted after extreme weather and jack-knifed lorries caused chaos on the M80 on Wednesday evening.
Motorists reported being stuck for up to 13 hours, with some spending the night in their cars. Others abandoned their vehicles on the busy Glasgow-Stirling link.
Emergency services and volunteer agencies, including mountain rescue teams, checked on stranded drivers, with some good samaritans also handing out food.
Updating MSPs in the wake of the nation’s first ever red weather warning – with people told not to travel – Ms Sturgeon issued a “blunt” message to company chiefs.
She said: “There were far more HGVs on that road than there should have been when a red warning was in place.
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