Wintry weather conditions – Moray Council update 6 January 2026
The amber weather alert remains in place until 7pm on Tuesday 6 January with a further yellow warning for Wednesday 7 January continuing the need for caution. Police Scotland and Traffic Scotland travel advice should be followed for safety.
Moray Council currently has 83 members of staff engaged in winter operations. Since the start of this snow event over 2,000 tonnes of salt has been used on the roads and footpaths, with stocks still at a good level.
The Council currently has 26 winter carriageway vehicles in operation and 11 footway clearance plant deployed. Snow depths in some places means it may not be practical for footpath clearing vehicles to operate.
Teams are currently focused on snow clearance but are replenishing grit bins as resources allow. Staff from other service areas currently working on reduced operations are also supporting this task.
Local contractors continue to support ongoing snow clearance operations and local farmers are actively supporting, especially on some of the harder to reach and rural roads.
Moray communities are thanked for their patience and understanding as services continue to be delivered under challenging conditions and for their efforts to clear snow and grit paths.
Gritting in Moray
Moray Council has published a brief summary of its winter maintenance plan alongside some gritting myth busters – including how grit works. Check it out here.
Updates on all Moray Council services will continue to be shared on the Service Status Portal (SSP). Below updates as of 4pm Tuesday 6 January.
Schools update
Almost all Moray Council schools will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday 7 January 2026) due to the snowfall forecast on Tuesday evening. The decision is made following risk assessment at individual school level that it looks highly unlikely staff will be able to travel to and from their place of work safely tomorrow.
Parents and carers will be informed via normal communication methods and the school closures page on the Council website will be updated this afternoon.
Please be assured that school buildings will reopen as soon as it can be done safely. In the meantime, on-line learning will be available to all pupils.
Waste
While waste collections have not been possible, waste teams have been redeployed during this week to assist with winter maintenance activity such as grit lorry refills, footpath and car park clearing.
It is not anticipated that collections will take place this week, however if the conditions improve suitably this may change. Residents should check the Service Status Portal daily for updates and to see rescheduled collections from this week – this may include Saturday collections to catch-up.
Household Waste & Recycling Centres are anticipated to re-open later in the week and additional waste can be taken there – check the SSP for updates. The collection of additional bin bags with kerbside collections may be possible depending on conditions and bin lorry capacity, further updates will be provided when collections restart.
Transport
Multiple bus routes were suspended again on Tuesday. Updates for m.connect are available on the SSP – for Scotrail, Stagecoach and Ember please see their social media channels.
Police Scotland urges residents to only travel if absolutely essential. If travel is unavoidable:
- Drive to conditions, allow ample time and avoid road closures.
- Be aware of delays or cancellations in rail and air services and factors such as power outages or communities being cut off.
Traffic Scotland is also warning of poor visibility during snowfall, snow-gates closures and urges strategic use of trunk roads only after checking the Traffic Scotland website or social channels.
Housing
The Council’s Housing team continues to prioritise emergency repairs on Tuesday and Wednesday (7 Jan) to keep everyone safe and due to access issues to some housing estates. Routine appointments this week may be delayed but will be communicated directly with the tenant. All gas servicing has been cancelled and tenants have been informed.
The team who usually carry out housing repairs are assisting with snow clearance.
Care
All Moray Council day centres closed on Wednesday 7 January and Vaccination Centres in Moray will remain closed until Friday. The Vaccine team has been redeployed into community settings.
Anyone requiring care assistance or with concerns around care provision should email accesscareteam@moray.gov.uk.