IT WAS supposed to be a case of calm after the storm but for many Perthshire residents the nightmare continued yesterday.

Heavy snowfall made conditions on local roads treacherous and heads of several schools felt they had no option but to send pupils home early.

Unlike the previous day, the weather was relatively benign to begin with and all schools opened as normal.

But conditions quickly deteriorated and youngsters from a number of Highland Perthshire schools were sent home early.

Both Kinloch Rannoch Primary and Kenmore Primary closed their doors early due to what was described by Perth and Kinross Council as “severe weather.”

Youngsters at Glen Lyon Primary also enjoyed an early end to their studies. As morning snowfall became heavier and more persistent they were told not to return after lunch.

Many secondary school pupils at Breadalbane Academy in Aberfeldy were also sent home early.

Youngsters from Weem, Camserney, Fortingall, Fearnan were all bussed home several hours before the normal end of the school day.

Pupils attending Breadalbane from Kinloch Rannoch, Amulree and Crieff were also advised to return home because of snow.

Although all roads remained open, many were only passable with great care and motorists in Highland Perthshire were advised against making all but the most essential of journeys.

“There has been some very heavy snow in Highland Perthshire but there have not been any road closures,” said a spokeswoman for Tayside Police.

“Driving conditions are difficult as a result of the weather and many roads are only passable with care.”

Meanwhile, power was fully restored to houses in Perthshire yesterday after high winds had battered the area on Wednesday.

Around 2000 properties in Tayside were left without power.

Fallen trees had affected many minor roads but only one—an unclassified route close to Milnathort in Kinross-shire—remained closed yesterday.

Home and business owners are being urged to check their properties in the wake of this week’s stormy conditions.

“The council’s building standards team would advise property owners to check for any signs of damage or loose external fixtures and fittings, in case of any further bad weather and high winds,” a spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council remarked.

In north-east Fife the clean-up operation following Wednesday’s storm was complete yesterday and council employees were dealing with problems caused by the heavy rain.

Fife Council lead officer for roads and lighting response, Harry Byers, said, “There was a lot of tidying up to be done.

“We had parks and amenities officers with chainsaws cutting up fallen trees and removing them.

“We have now cleared up the problems and are dealing with localised flooding.”

The B940 road between Higham Toll and Drumrack crossroads, where power cables had come down, remained closed, as did the B936 between Auchtermuchty and Newburgh where there was flooding at Pitcairlie.

All but a few pockets of customers who had lost power on Wednesday had their electricity supply returned.

The four primary schools—Tayport, Strathmiglo, New Gilston and Balmerino—which were closed due to the severe weather were reopened.

With central Fife having escaped the worst of Wednesday’s storm, there was little in the way of a clean-up necessary yesterday.

One Kirkcaldy family had the tricky task of recovering their trampoline which had blown from their garden and into trees beside Oriel Road.

Of the three schools closed, Leslie Nursery and Collydean Primary both reopened yesterday morning and Carleton Nursery followed suit at luncthime.

The damage caused to homes across Dundee by Wednesday’s storm has led to a boom in business for roofing contractors.

Tony Mayall, of Kean Slaters in Ancrum Road, Dundee, said, “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since Wednesday and we are still getting calls in.

“We are probably about 50% up on the volume of calls that we normally take.

“It’s all storm damage that we are looking at. It’s the sort of stuff you would expect, things like tiles, aerials and chimneys being damaged.

“It was difficult on Wednesday to get people on the roofs because it was too dangerous so we were just trying to make damaged property as safe as possible.”

Mr Mayall added that many people who were at work on Wednesday didn’t realise that their property had been damaged until they returned from work.

AS Roofing in Old Toll Loan, Dundee, reported a similar surge in business.

Director, Steven Moir, said, “It has been hectic. We’ve probably taken about 25 calls since Wednesday.

“For a one-off day, it’s probably about the most calls we have had. Most of the calls were for roof tiles and slates that had been blown off.”

Insurance company More Than said seven claims from Dundee had been made to them over the course of Wednesday and yesterday.

Norwich Union said they have had around 2000 claims connected to the bad weather, of which 1500 were thought to be in Scotland.