Several crashes have been reported amid treacherous driving conditions as the Arctic blast hits Scotland.

A number of collisions took place in the Highlands on Thursday while several other routes were closed due to ice and snow.

The west of Scotland, including parts of South Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, experienced traffic issues amid heavy snowfall.

Flood alerts have been issued across the north east amid concerns about high tides and large waves expected to hit Scotland's coasts.

Argyll also experienced snowfall, with the A85 near Strone Hill, to the east of Dalmally, shut after it became impassable.

A jackknifed tanker blocked the A9 near Newtonmore in the Highlands on Thursday morning, while a second lorry which crashed near Dunblane overnight also obstructed the route.

There was a third crash crash on the A9 at around 8am near the Trentham Hotel in Dornoch.

In the central belt, the M74 was closed the at junction 8 Canderside near Larkhall due to concerns over ice.

The M77 also saw disruption for travellers, after a collision involving three vehicles on the between junction 5 East Kilbride and junction 6 Galston at 6.55am.

Police Scotland confirmed no one was injured in the incident and recovery of the vehicles is being arranged.

Meanwhile, in the Highlands the A862 between Dingwall and Ardullie Roundabout was shut due to a smash amid the wintry blast.

Weather warnings remain in place for Thursday, with thundersnow and 70mph winds expected to batter parts of Scotland.

Shortly after 9pm on Wednesday night, the Forth Road Bridge reopened to commuters having been closed a HGV damaged the structure when it blew over in high winds.

A large area of the country is forecast to be hit with the extreme weather throughout the day.

Temperatures are expected to plummet to as low as -10C and by Thursday around ten to 15cm of snow is forecast to fall in parts.

The Arctic blast hitting the north west of Scotland from Canada before spreading across the country, bringing gale-force winds and snow.

Scotrail has amended some services for Thursday, and travellers are advised to check ahead.