Heavy goods lorries may be forced to fit winter tyres after many of the long tailbacks over the last two weeks were blamed on jack-knifed juggernauts.

In the central belt almost daily delays, particularly at Harthill on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh, have been caused by articulated lorries blocking the road after skidding in the icy conditions.

First Minister Alex Salmond said heavy goods vehicles had caused more than 100 incidents in recent weeks.

He revealed yesterday that Government officials have held talks with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Freight Transport Association (FTA) about fitting the special tyres at the start of winter in line with some other European countries where they are compulsory at this time of year.

Both industry bodies have agreed to conduct a survey of their members to examine jack-knife incidents and the factors that contributed to them.

Although there is no suggestion of legislation as yet as the power to change the law rests with Westminster, Mr Salmond said he was commissioning research into whether there was a "cost benefit" to such a move.

He said the study would look at what happens in countries "with greater experience of the extreme weather that we've endured in the last fortnight".

Phil Flanders, director for Scotland and Northern Ireland of the RHA, said there would be a thorough examination of the results elsewhere but warned there was "no miracle solution". He said: "The survey of our members into the recent incidents will ensure we hear straight from the horse's mouth about what they have experienced out on the road."

Chris MacRae, RHA head of policy for Scotland, added that people should appreciate the "can-do" attitude of lorry drivers in the present conditions. He said feedback from drivers would help identify problems and what could be done to minimise them.

As the clear-up continued during yesterday's lull in the freezing weather, Mr Salmond was again forced to defend his Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson, as opposition parties stepped up calls for his resignation after further claims he failed to heed advice given four months ago on how to handle severe weather conditions.

A report commissioned by the Scottish Government after the heavy snowfalls earlier this year suggested a list of actions that included closing roads in order to treat them before becoming impassable and ordering lorries into lay-bys to prevent jack-knifing as conditions deteriorated.

Labour leader Iain Gray said: "Stewart Stevenson was told what to do and he ignored it. His incompetence led to hundreds of motorists being stranded overnight in freezing conditions.

"Hundreds of thousands of lives have been disrupted this week and the economy will have suffered because the minister cannot be bothered to follow advice. His position is untenable – he has nowhere left to hide."

Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "It beggars belief that the proposals in this report, which could have been acted upon, have instead been sitting gathering dust on Stewart Stevenson's desk for four months.

"It emphasises the total lack of urgency that has characterised the Scottish Government's approach to this crisis. Every day brings new revelations and new questions that need answers. Stewart Stevenson's jacket is currently on a very shoogly peg."

LibDem leader Tavish Scott added to the criticism, saying: "Stewart Stevenson needs to have a heck of a good explanation for why he didn't act on this report. If he can't explain himself, how can he do the job?"

Mr Salmond claimed all the main recommendations in the report had been adopted and said work was also undertaken on long-term suggestions.

Thaw creates flood risk with more snow looming

SCOTLAND is set for fresh snowfalls by the end of next week, forecasters have warned.

Helen Chivers, spokeswoman for the Met Office, said the thaw would last until midweek, but that fresh snow is on the way.

She said: "If things go the way they are looking at the moment, we're going to see snow spreading across Scotland again during Thursday and Friday as cold winds move back in from the north. At the moment it's a risk – a lot can change in a week – but it depends on wind direction."

The predictions come as rising temperatures this weekend put pressure on urban drainage systems and waterways in the north and east of the country.

Localised flooding was causing disruption on the roads, including at Edinburgh Airport where traffic was being diverted on the main route in after the thaw caused flooding on the on-off ramp from the A8.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) increased its flood warning in the Highlands to "severe", with the agency also issuing seven flood watch alerts for parts of Aberdeenshire, the Northern Isles, Lothians, and Borders areas as melting snow and ice increase river levels.

Temperatures are expected to remain between 5°C and 8°C over the weekend, before gradually dipping until midweek.

SEPA experts said the current thaw was unlikely to cause serious flooding from larger rivers, but problems may occur where drains are blocked by ice and on lower-lying smaller watercourses.

Last night SEPA had flood watches in place for Caithness and Sutherland, Orkney, Shetland, the Scottish Borders, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Lowland Angus, and Banff, Buchan and sections of the river Don in Aberdeenshire.

In the Highlands, SEPA warned of a "serious danger to life and property" after a section of the River Oykel from Oykel Bridge to Inveroykel and Invercassley breached its severe flood warning level yesterday.

"Flooding is expected for the area, affecting homes, roads and large areas of land," a statement from SEPA advised last night.

In Strathclyde, firefighters battled dozens of burst pipes, including a leak which cut off electricity to the service's own finance department yesterday.

City Building – the body which operates repairs and maintenance contracts on behalf of Glasgow City Council – responded to 702 reports of burst pipes.

Snowball leads to assault

A MAN attacked an 11-year-old boy – leaving him in need of hospital treatment – after having a snowball thrown at him, police said.

Officers launched a helicopter and dog search to find the man, who was described as white and aged around 40.

He is thought to have "seriously" assaulted the boy in the Riddrie area of Glasgow on Thursday night. The boy was treated by ambulance staff then taken to Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital where he was released after treatment.

Detective Constable Alan Moir said: "A full search of the area was carried out, involving the dog branch and the police helicopter, to trace the man responsible. However, he has yet to be traced."