Scottish Borders schools shut until Monday
Scottish Borders Council has decided to close all its schools until Monday at the earliest as winter weather continued to grip the region.
Some schools had reopened on Wednesday morning but their pupils were sent home at lunchtime.
A meeting of council officers agreed to keep its primaries and secondaries shut on Thursday and Friday.
SBC said it had made the decision on the advice of police, roads staff and weather advisers.
A statement from the authority said the safety of pupils and staff was "paramount".
It said the decision would also enable SBC and local contractors to continue to clear snow and ensure safe access to schools.
It is intended to reopen schools on Monday, depending on the weather conditions.
Director of education Glenn Rodger said: "It is never an easy decision to close schools and one which we need to consider carefully.
"When faced with such severe weather and low temperatures, we need to take into account the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff, catering, road conditions as well as advice we are receiving from colleagues in the police and roads department.
"We are constantly monitoring the situation and will do everything we can to ensure as many schools open as possible on Monday."
School staff have been asked to contact their headteacher with regard to home-working arrangements.
Keep up to date with the latest situation through BBC Scotland's radio bulletins in the Borders on 93.5FM across the region and on the BBC Scotland news website.