Red-faced council officials have apologised after Moray’s biggest town ground to a halt in whiteout conditions.
Motorists reported taking nearly two hours to cross from one side of Elgin to the other as a snowstorm swept across the region.
Roads were grid-locked as cars and lorries were unable to get to grip on the slippery roads as gritters fighting to salt the ground also became snarled up in the jams.
One member of the gritting team on his way to work even got out his car to walk to the depot so he could get out and salt the roads quicker.
Drivers were seen swapping insurance details in the street following minor bumps caused by the icy conditions.
Yesterday, as snow showers continued throughout the region, Moray Council admitted they had been caught off-guard by Thursday’s blizzard which moved in earlier than forecast.
And last night, the council launched a live online map so motorists can keep track of which roads the council’s fleet of 18 gritters have treated.
The authority’s head of direct services, Stephen Cooper, blamed a perfect storm of commuters and extreme weather for the chaos.
He said: “We’re sorry that some drivers experienced difficulty on Thursday evening. A number of our gritters were deployed in the afternoon around Elgin.
“The forecast we had from the Met Office was for a band of light snow late in the afternoon but it turned out to be heavier than forecast.
“Unfortunately it also coincided with people leaving work for home and the conditions made the teatime commute difficult for many.
“The long tailbacks developed on many stretched of trunk road which led to many of our gritters getting caught up in slow-moving traffic, where they had no option but simply to go with the flow.”
Last night, local MSP Richard Lochhead called for new measures to be put in place to ensure the authority is able to react quicker to changing weather conditions.
He received calls from residents who took three hours to get from Elgin to Rothes and Aberlour.
“All our councils can do in these circumstances is keep procedures under review to see if its vehicles are being placed in the right strategic locations as a precaution,” he said.
“I noticed Bear appeared to have done this on the trunk road network where snow ploughs and gritters were waiting in lay-bys react to act when the weather turned.
“I would be keen to know if this was the case with Moray Council’s vehicles.”
The region’s trunk road network also experienced backlogs during Thursday’s snow with the A96 near Keith and approaching Elgin particularly badly hit.
A Bear Scotland spokeswoman said gritters were out on the A96 and A95 before the storm to minimise disruption.
She said: “Our teams have been working round the clock in challenging conditions. We have continued pre-treatment in advance of forecasted weather and are also responding to emerging conditions on the trunk roads.”
Roads across the region continued to be affected by blizzard conditions yesterday. The snow gates remained closed at Tomintoul in the afternoon as temperatures in the Cairngorms failed to get above freezing all day.
Elgin Community Council chairman Alistair Kennedy believes the backlogs show new routes are needed in the town.
He said: “It’s highlighted the need for another crossing over the railway. In our view that was one of the things the Western Link Road would have done – it would have spread out the traffic.
“It’s unfortunate the council seems to have been caught off-guard this time. Generally I think they are very well prepared.”
A Moray Council spokesman said: “Gritting a road is not a guarantee that roads will be snow or ice free at all times. These events are beyond the control of any road authority and events like that experience in Elgin could happen on any road in the country at any time during the winter.”
The council’s new online map shows which roads are planned to be salted for the forthcoming day can be viewed on their website ww.moray.gov.uk