Council chiefs have thanked an army of workers who braved the elements to get East Renfrewshire up and running again.

Scores of staff from the local authority worked round the clock in recent days to treat local roads and support the area’s most vulnerable residents, despite the difficult conditions.

Councillor Tony Buchanan, leader of East Renfrewshire Council, told the Barrhead News: “The extreme weather last week was challenging for a number of our services.

“More than 1,200 tonnes of grit was spread across 10,000km of road, with staff working for almost 1,500 hours combined.

“Priority routes were maintained and were passable with care and the team were moved onto secondary routes as quickly as possible.

“The 334 grit bins across the authority were also filled and, over the weekend, pavements became the focus, with routes to schools the priority.”

Among those who suffered disruption as a result of last week’s weather were pupils who were due to sit their prelim exams at Barrhead’s two high schools.

With all schools in the area being closed for three days, those exams had to be cancelled.

However, education chiefs have said the tests will now be rescheduled for an alternative date.

Social care services also suffered, with many workers struggling to get into work.

Cllr Buchanan added: “I’d like to thank all East Renfrewshire Council and East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership staff for their hard work and dedication and to our residents who did their bit.

“An amazing group of 4x4 volunteers, many of which were staff, helped the HSCP to continue to deliver lifeline services, with social work staff continuing to support families in need.”