Wintry weather conditions – Moray update – Wednesday 7 January 2026
Winter maintenance teams have managed to get to Priority 3 (P3) routes today after P1 and P2 routes were treated – see the priorities here and where the gritters are scheduled to go next here.
The Service Status Portal (SSP) is still the place to go for the most up-to-date information on Council services operating and any road closures.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are still in place across Moray on Wednesday and into Thursday.
Please note: Moray Council’s Contact Centre is experiencing high call and email volumes, so please bear with us if it takes a little longer to get through.
Thank you for your understanding as our staff do everything possible to catch up as quickly as possible while putting safety first.
Updates below as of 3.30pm on Wednesday 7 January.
Schools
Most schools are due to re-open on Thursday 8 January, with some schools in Speyside and Keith areas remaining closed. Details will be sent by individual schools via normal communication methods and available on the SSP.
Thank you to all parents, carers and volunteers in the communities who have helped clear footpaths and car parks to help get schools open again. It’s much appreciated and extremely heartening to see the community spirit in evidence across Moray.
The decision on school opening/closure is made following risk assessment at individual school level and considers how likely staff will be able to travel to and from their place of work safely.
Please be assured that school buildings reopen as soon as it can be done safely. In the meantime, on-line learning will be available to all pupils where school buildings aren’t open.
Due to disruption to supplies and deliveries in the first part of the week, school catering will have a reduced offering. There may be slight variations between schools and adapted menu items will be available where required. See menus attached.
Waste
Chanonry (Elgin), Waterford (Forres) and Dallachy Household Waste Recycling Centres opened as normal on Wednesday and will be again on Thursday.
Open: 9am-4pm
Closed for lunch: 11.50am – 12.30pm
Last entry: 3.50pm
Bookings are still required for Chanonry (Elgin) and can be made up to one hour before visiting.
Conditions will be assessed throughout the day and these sites will be closed if conditions deem them unsafe to be open - please check the Service Status Portal before setting off.
Keith and Buckie Household Waste Recycling Centres remained on Wednesday but Keith may re-open on Thursday – this will be shared on the SSP.
Further to the monitoring of road and pavement conditions, we are hopeful that we will be able to carry out some collections of waste and recycling tomorrow, Thursday 8 January.
Household with the normal collection day of 08/01/2026:
| Elgin Route 9 | WILL BE SERVICED 08/01/26 - GREEN, BLUE & PURPLE BINS ONLY |
| Fochabers area Route 24 | WILL BE SERVICED 08/01/26 - GREEN, BLUE & PURPLE BINS ONLY |
| Rafford & Dallas areas | WILL BE SERVICED AT A LATER DATE, WHEN CONDITIONS/STAFFING ALLOW |
| Keith Route 84 | WILL BE SERVICED AT A LATER DATE, WHEN CONDITIONS/STAFFING ALLOW |
Routes missed from earlier this week which will also be serviced tomorrow (08/01/2026):
| Elgin Route 1 | which were due on Monday 05/01/2026 | GREEN, BLUE & PURPLE BINS ONLY |
| Findhorn & Kinloss | which were due on Monday 05/01/2026 | GREEN, BLUE & PURPLE BINS ONLY |
| Mosstodloch & Garmouth areas | which were due on Tuesday 06/01/2026 | GREEN, BLUE & PURPLE BINS ONLY |
Unfortunately due to the manual handling risks of carrying glass receptacles over icy ground we are unable to collect glass from ANY route at this time. Glass can be taken to Recycling Points and Recycling Centres, if you are unable to do so, excess glass will be collected on your next scheduled collection.
If your route is listed above as being collected tomorrow please present your bins for 7.30am, if safe to do so. Unfortunately we may be unable to return to these routes at a later date, however excess waste and recycling can be taken to manned recycling centres, or presented for collection on your next scheduled collection day.
There will be no brown bin collections this week.
If this situation changes and we're unable to provide collections tomorrow, a further update will be provided on the Service Status Portal first thing.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
While we were been unable to carry out bulky uplifts at the start of the week due to the weather, missed collections will be picked up as below:
Rothes: Wednesday 7 January
Lossiemouth and Hopeman areas: Thursday 8 January
Elgin and Forres areas: Friday 9 January
Buckie and Keith areas: Monday 12 January
Conditions will continue to be assessed and if there are any further updates these will be posted on the Service Status Portal.
Transport
Updates for m.connect are available on the SSP – some routes have been able to restart. For Scotrail, Stagecoach and Ember please see their social media channels.
Housing
The Council’s Housing team continues to prioritise emergency repairs 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.
Care
All Moray Council day centres will re-open on Thursday 8 January while Vaccination Centres will remain closed for the rest of the week. 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.