"This really could not happen at a worse time of year. And it's going to have an impact on everybody."

A warning from Chris MacRae, the freight transport association's head of policy in Scotland, who gave his thoughts on the Forth Road Bridge closure to BBC Radio Scotland's Newsdrive programme.

He added: "It will also have a knock-on effect in the rest of the UK. No time of year would be good for this to happen, obviously, but to happen in the run-up to Christmas - that's going to be particularly challenging."

He warned it would be "impossible" in some cases to make deliveries in the normal time frame, and warned consumers to be prepared for delays and additional costs.