Much of Scotland remained at a standstill on Thursday, with airports closed and public transport cancelled, as Nicola Sturgeon hit out at haulage firms for causing chaos on some of the country’s busiest roads.

A red alert for heavy snow, during which around 1,000 vehicles became trapped on one of the country’s busiest motorways, was succeeded at 10am by an amber “be prepared” warning lasting until Friday.

On the third day of the so-called “beast from the east”, the emergency services were still trying to free vehicles stuck on the M80, where many people spent Wednesday night in their vehicles.

Glasgow Airport was closed all day while Edinburgh Airport was hit by dozens of cancellations before closing during the afternoon.

All rail services in the central belt were severely curtailed by heavy and drifting snow in Edinburgh and Glasgow and most of the country’s schools were closed.