Motorists are being advised to avoid driving on untreated upland roads in Wicklow due to “extremely hazardous” conditions.
AA Roadwatch has warned that both roads through the Sally Gap remain closed due to “treacherous conditions” and that gardaí are advising people to avoid the area.
Snowfall over the weekend resulted in a number of incidents on routes through the Sally Gap and between Laragh and Glenmalure.
The Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team (DWMRT) and Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team (GIMRT) assisted in a number of incidents involving stranded vehicles on these routes on Sunday.
At around 1pm, 13 people were evacuated from a stranded tour bus near the Shay Elliot recreational area and several more were evacuated from other stranded vehicles on the R759 and R115 Old Military Road at around 4pm.
The mountain rescue teams each dispatched two four wheel drive vehicles in response to the calls.
John Kavanagh, public relations officer with DWMRT said: “We do get a lot of ‘snow tourism’ because we’re on the outskirts of Dublin.
“We ask when people hear that the roads are impassable that they heed those warnings. The roads are declared impassable by gardaí and the council for peoples’ safety.”
DWMRT and GIMRT are both voluntary organisations with approximately 100 members in total. DWMRT is based in Roundwood, Co Wicklow and was founded in 1984.
