The Queensferry Crossing has fully reopened to traffic at 09:05 after being temporarily closed as a safety precaution in adverse weather conditions.

Chris Tracey, BEAR Scotland’s South East Unit Bridges Manager, said: “The safety of bridge users comes first and we therefore made the decision to temporarily close the Queensferry Crossing when we identified a risk of falling ice.

“We constantly monitor conditions on the Queensferry Crossing in real time using a bespoke system of weather sensors on the towers and deck. At 04:30 this system reported conditions conducive for ice formation. Patrol staff observed ice falling from the bridge towers shortly after this and the bridge was closed at 04:45.

“The risk of falling ice has now passed and it is safe to reopen the bridge. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to road users by this closure.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.