SNP Culture Secretary Angus Robertson defended the “undoubtedly” correct decision to cancel Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party.
Outdoor celebrations in the Scottish capital were cancelled on Monday evening, with the Met Office warning of heavy rain and high winds for New Year’s Eve.
But some residents in the city said the weather wasn’t noticeably worse than previous years when the street party, concert and midnight fireworks display had gone ahead as planned.
A Met Office yellow warning for “strong westerly winds” is in force across southern Scotland – including Glasgow and Edinburgh – and northern England until 11pm on December 31. Further north, a yellow warning for rain and snow across the Highlands runs until 4am on January 1.
READ MORE: Hogmanay weather washout for Scots as winter freeze set to ruin New Year
The wild weather has caused other the cancellation of other New Year’s Eve events, including fireworks displays in Blackpool, Newcastle, the Isle of Wight and Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Defending the move in Edinburgh, Mr Robertson told Radio 4’s Today programme: “The organisers believe that they took the decision quite early for the reason that they wanted to be able to communicate to people who have been travelling now.
“I would stress whilst it is hugely disappointing that the events as planned in Princes Street, in the old town, over by the castle, the concert by Texas and so on, are not going ahead, there will be lots happening in Edinburgh.
“There will be all kinds of events, the pubs and clubs will be open. I’m truly sorry for everybody who has travelled but I think given the extent of the weather forecast – it’s really, really bad in some parts of the country – it’s not the right thing to proceed.”
However, some on social media said the weather in Edinburgh was “more like a typical British winter” and “normal Scottish weather for December”.
‘Blizzard conditions are possible’
The north of Scotland appears to have borne the brunt of the storm, with roads and rail lines across the region closed by landslips and flooding on New Year’s Eve.
The risk of “severe” flooding in parts of the Highlands was downgraded by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). However, the agency still had 44 flood warnings in place at 5pm on December 31 (although none in Edinburgh).
And the Met Office was continuing to warn some communities could be cut off by blizzards. Flooding closed the A9 at Tomich and a landslide closed the A832 between Fortrose and Avoch.
The Far North Line was closed by both flooding and a landslip while the railway between Dingwall and Inverness was closed for several hours due to floods.
The Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled in Edinburgh
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Met Office said: “As milder air pushes in, snow will turn back to rain, and any rapid snow melt will contribute to flooding in places.
“Strong winds may exacerbate impacts, particularly across the areas of Scotland affected by snow. Blizzard conditions are possible, especially over high ground and across much of Sutherland and Caithness. Powerline icing is possible where blizzard conditions occur.”
Winds of up to 60mph are forecast across much of England and Wales all day on Wednesday, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
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