Yellow Weather Warning - Flooding in Scotland

‘Danger to life’ warning as weather causes landslips, cancelled trains and travel warnings
Amber weather warning for parts of Scotland as heavy rain hits.

Widespread flooding in parts of Scotland was expected to present a “danger to life”, as heavy rain led to trains being cancelled and travel disruption.

A number of rail lines and roads – including the M9 motorway – were hit by flooding on Saturday morning, with the rain expected to continue into Sunday.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for a large part of central Scotland, while a yellow weather warning covers most of the country.

As of midday, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), had issued 47 flood warnings and 17 regional flood alerts.

Some railway stations, including Bowling in West Dunbartonshire, saw tracks completely submerged in water.

ScotRail said there would not be replacement buses for the routes it closed, including those between Perth and Inverness. Trains from England have also stopped running north of the border.

A series of landslips led police to issue a warning for drivers not to travel in Argyll and Bute.
There have been several landslips affecting roads connecting rural communities. Roads closed include the A83 between Tarbet and Lochgilphead because of multiple landslips.

Bear Scotland, which maintains trunk roads, said its engineers were clearing roads and culverts but some would not even be inspected until Sunday.

Vincent Fitzsimmons, Sepa’s flood duty manager, said there is a “major rainfall event that is bringing prolonged, heavy rain throughout the day and into Sunday”.

He said: “I want to be very clear that this is not a normal Autumn day for Scotland.
“We’re expecting extensive river and surface water flooding in affected areas. There is a danger to life.

“There will be widespread impacts to road and rail. There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding.”

He continued: “Rain will move across central and western parts this morning, moving northwards through the day.

“Many areas will see heavy rain for well over 24 hours before it clears on Sunday.
“Of particular concern are communities in the amber area that extends from west central Scotland northwards.

“Examples include Aviemore and communities down the Spey Valley, and also Milngavie, Aberfoyle, Callander and Bridge Of Allan.”

He advised people in areas such as Aberfoyle and Aviemore to check for updates and advice on Sepa’s website.

ScotRail’s managing director Alex Hynes posted on Twitter, saying: “We have some lines of route closed and significant disruption in the Amber weather alert area.

“Local roads are also becoming impassable in many areas. Please check before you travel and stay safe!”

The Scottish Government’s resilience room officials met on Friday to discuss the upcoming rain.
Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.