THREE major rescue operations were carried out across Scotland yesterday as the country was hit by more heavy snowfall that brought widespread disruption.

A 12-year-old boy was stuck for more than an hour up to his waist in mud and it took nearly 40 coastguards, firefighters, police, ambulance personnel and lifeboat fought to free the teenager from the Solway Firth mudflats at Kippford.

He had been out fishing when he got stuck in the mud 150 yards out and his plight was seen by people on the shore and the emergency services were alerted as the boy quickly sank in the mud.

He was treated at the scene by paramedics and then taken nearly 20 miles by ambulance to Dumfries Infirmary suffering from shock and hypothermia.

Further north, three power workers were airlifted to safety after being trapped for five hours in sub-zero temperatures working on a windfarm more than 2000 feet up above Loch Ness.

Mountain rescue teams and a helicopter were sent to free the trio who were stranded in their vehicle in deep snow between the sub station they were working on and the main accommodation site below.

At a height of over 2050ft above sea-level Stronelairg wind farm will be one of the highest wind farms built.

Due to the remote location of the wind farm substation, a temporary accommodation camp has been established on top of the mountain to house the workforce.

A father and his 16-year-old son were also rescued after getting lost after a climb in the Cairngorms.

The pair had climbed Lurcher’s Crag and were heading towards Chalamain Gap when they got lost in Lairig Ghru. The Inverness based Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, fresh from rescuing three snowbound power workers, was on scene 6.05pm.

But members of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team managed to locate the pair in the dark and took them to their car. Both were safe and well and required no medical assistance.