No Serious Injuries As Icy Conditions Hit NI Roads

While a bus taking children to school skidded off the road after it hit black ice this morning, the cause of a separate accident involving a lorry driver losing control of his vehicle and partly demolishing an occupied house is still to be revealed.

None of the children on the bus were hurt in the accident, which happened as the bus travelled along the Derrybard Road near Fintona after it slid off the Co Tyrone road.

A spokesperson for the Western Education Board said another bus was sent to allow the children to continue their journey.

The incident came as black ice made driving conditions treacherous across NI for most of the morning.

By noon, there had been four accidents and several minor incidents.

Speaking to the BBC, Denis Wilson from the Roads Service said the gritters were out on Monday evening because temperatures were expected to fall below zero.

"Rain has been falling onto roads at temperatures of below zero and that has led to the formation of black ice," he said.

Meanwhile, there's as yet no indication if icy conditions were a factor when a young family had to be rescued from their house in Lisburn after a lorry left the road and partly demolished their home.

It crashed in the early hours of the morning and the couple - who are in their 20s and their two-year-old daughter - had to be evacuated.

They were not injured but the lorry driver was shaken and suffered cuts and bruises, but has since been discharged from hospital.

(BMcC)