Widespread black ice brought chaos to many parts of Clydebank this morning as parents tried to get their children safely to school.

Streets, pavements and school playgrounds and paths were said to be treacherous as mums, dads and kids slipped and slithered on the ice which formed on already wet streets.

Many people caught unawares by the freeze-up suffered falls as they tried to get to work or to shops.

One mum, Moira Anne Rankin, who struggled to get her six year-old daughter Holly to Aiden Edinbarnet Primary School, said: "It was a nightmare. People were falling all over the place - it was a complete joke, but also very dangerous."

"Everyone was asking 'where are the gritters?' This is ridiculous."

Moira said as soon as they left their home in Faifley Road she realised the conditions were dangerous.

"We couldn't walk on the pavement as they were too slippy," she said. "My husband Paul had to help an elderly lady who would have fallen if he had not gone to give her support.

"An elderly person or a child falling in these conditions would badly hurt themselves.

"We had to walk on the road because the pavements were too slippy - not a good situation given how busy it is at that time of the morning.

"Thankfully, drivers saw us and a couple of vans stopped before carefully driving round us."

Moira said the difficulties did not stop when they got to the school as cars were stuck on the approach road.

"We were scared that one of the cars would hit a child. The vehicles were slipping all over the place and one driver had to get out of his car to spread salt from the salt bin."

Moira, who took a video of the chaos, and said the school had texted parents to be careful in the very ice conditions, and some teachers came out to help kids into the classrooms.

In response to criticism about lack of gritting around schools, a West Dunbartonshire Council spokesperson said: “Facilities assistants in schools and nurseries maintain safe pedestrian access by gritting and clearing snow from the main pathways within the premises.

"The council’s Greenspace teams will grit school playgrounds and car parks only once priority footways have been treated and when resources allow.”