Snowbound drivers trapped in their cars

Scores of motorists have been trapped in their cars

Hundreds of motorists have been forced to spend the night in their cars after being stopped by the appalling weather conditions.

The Glasgow to Edinburgh M8 motorway has been blocked and other main routes around the country have been badly affected by jack-knifed lorries and drifting snow.

Snow ploughs have been caught in the drifts and traffic jams, with police in the worst hit areas in the east and the Borders saying they cannot predict when the situation will improve.

Sue Pearson ground to a halt on the M8 eastbound at 0300 GMT, near the Harthill Services.

Sue Pearson: "quite scared"

Speaking from her stranded car by mobile phone, she said had arrived at Glasgow airport early on Tuesday with her two children and a friend after returning from holiday.

She said: "There were no warnings at all that the M8 was as bad as it was and it was quite scary once we got on to the M8 in order to get home.

"I think we were about 10 minutes outside Glasgow when we approached this lorry that had jack-knifed completely blocking the M8 and we have been since 3.15am."

Ms Pearson said she had been in touch with the police by mobile phone and they had advised her to sit tight.

"It's not too cold because we have been keeping the engine running and keeping the heat, but the children are hungry - we have got one carton of orange juice and we are still in our summer clothes.

Waiting for gritters

"They are beginning to feel quite scared because they do not know what is happening and we can't see any sign of help available."

She said: "If we had known what we were going to head into we would have stayed in the hotel - we don't want to put the children through this."

Efforts to reach vehicles in parts of the north-east were being hampered by the conditions, and 40 motorists sought overnight refuge in a pub in Ross-shire after having to abandon their vehicles.

Even snow ploughs have been caught in drifts

Fifteen people were also given emergency shelter in the village hall in Whiterashes, Aberdeenshire, after running into heavy snow.

Others were not so lucky and are still waiting for gritters and the emergency services to reach them.

Borders taxi-driver Hazel Playfair was on her way from Selkirk to Edinburgh Airport - with a passenger - when she was stranded between Peebles and Innerleithen.

She said: "I can't see in front of myself because there is a snowdrift right across the road and we are stuck in a drift."

Mrs Playfair added: "A snowplough stopped and they tried to dig us out, but they couldn't do it. They said they would send somebody up with a 4x4 to pull us out, but nobody's came near yet."