Hundreds of homes have been hit by power cuts as snow, ice and gale force winds continue to cause disruption.

Around 2000 properties in the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Angus were without power on Friday morning.

Engineers are working to restore the faults in areas including Easter Ross, Beauly, Ballater, and Fraserburgh.

SSE said their crews were well-resourced and it is hoped the majority of supplies will be restored early this afternoon.

Warnings remain in place for more snow and ice across Scotland as wintry weather continues to cause difficult travelling conditions.

Heavy snow lying in the north, south and west of the country led to problems on many roads on Thursday and overnight into Friday with a number of minor accidents as cars skidded off roads.

The Met Office has issued warnings for up to 20cm of snow for higher ground and ice until late on Friday and more disruption is expected.

Flood warnings are also in place for along the Moray Firth coastline between Portsoy and Macduff and Lossiemouth and Findhorn.

A number of schools in the Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Moray have been closed due to the adverse weather.

Snow showers will die down over the weekend but temperatures will remain low.

The main route to the Highlands was blocked near Blair Atholl in Perthshire on Friday morning when a lorry jack-knifed.

The A9 was completely blocked after the incident on the northbound carriageway at around 6.30am.

A lorry also overturned on the A90 near Laurencekirk.

The A702 near Coulter in the Borders was also partially blocked early on Friday after reports that a gritter lorry had got into difficulty.

Snow gates have been closed on several routes in the north-east, including the A939 Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, following heavy snow on higher ground.

The A97 Lumsden to Rhynie and the A93 Spittal to Glenshee roads were also closed overnight while there were reports on drifting snow on other north-east routes.

Police are urging drivers to take extra care and disruption is also expected on several ferry routes.

Bitter northerly winds of up to 70mph were recorded in the northern isles and wind warnings have been issued for the Dornoch, Skye, Kessock, Tay, Forth and Clackmannanshire bridges.

Police said they were dealing with a number of fallen trees in Perthshire and Aberdeenshire due to winds and weight of snow.

A lane was closed on the A90 at Stracathro in Angus after a tree blocked the carriageway.

Localised flooding has also been reported on the A82 between Inverness and Drumnadrochit.

A fallen tree forced the closure of the A701 Dumfries to Moffat road on Friday morning.

Engineers are dealing with a number of power cuts across Scotland, however the exact number of affected properties has not been confirmed.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: "Motorists all over the UK are facing very challenging driving conditions from the full array of winter weather.

"Driving in rain, snow and ice is a real danger so the best advice is to drive more slowly, leave far more space behind the car in front than normal, and expect the unexpected.

"If you are unlucky enough to find yourself slipping and sliding on the road, change to a higher gear to gain traction, be gentle with the accelerator and you should keep control.

"Also, remember to give yourself more time to brake and apply the pressure on the brake steadily."