Heavy rain and flooding bring travel disruption

Roads have been flooded and rail travel disrupted as heavy rain batters some areas, with an amber weather warning in force in part of the country.

The Met Office amber alert, in force in Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Aberdeenshire until 6pm, warns fast-flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing “danger to life”.

A yellow warning of rain is also in place for part of Scotland, while the Met Office has issued further yellow warnings for Northern Ireland and parts of south Wales and south-west England.

Flooding has affected parts of the A9 and A85 roads in Scotland, while access to Bogindollo in Angus from the A90 remains closed in both directions due to flooding.

Network Rail Scotland said speed restrictions are in place on the Aberdeen-Inverness, Perth-Inverness (Highland Main Line), West Highland Line and Glasgow Central-Stranraer routes due to extreme rainfall.

ScotRail warned of potential delays.

A yellow warning for rain is in force for most of the north east of Scotland until 11.59pm on Friday.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 22 flood warnings and six flood alerts.

South of the border, up to 20mm is forecast to fall during Thursday across south Wales, Somerset and parts of Devon and Dorset, where a yellow warning came into place at 8am.

The Met Office said rain falling on saturated ground could lead to flooding and disruption.

The warning runs until 4pm on Thursday, when the forecaster said the heaviest of the rain should clear to the north east.

A further yellow warning for Northern Ireland is in place from 10am on Thursday for the rest of the day.

Up to 40mm is predicted in some places, mainly on high ground, with 15-25mm falling widely during the day.

The Met Office said homes and businesses are likely to face flooding in the most affected areas, with delays or cancellations to public transport, while some communities may be cut off.

Drivers have been warned to take care and the Met Office said power cuts are possible.

Ferry operator CalMac has cancelled all Oban-Coll-Tiree services on Thursday and says some other services may be subject to cancellations or delays at short notice.

Restrictions were in place on the Forth Road Bridge on Thursday morning due to high winds, while drivers were advised to take caution on various crossings around Scotland.