Amber alert extended across parts of Scotland as severe rainfall …
Widespread weather disruption continues
- Amber weather warning extended until 2pm on Sunday for parts of Scotland
- Ten people airlifted to safety after torrential rain caused multiple landslides in Argyll and Bute
- Further rail disruption expected after hundreds of journeys cancelled on Saturday
- SEPA issues 17 flood alerts and 49 flood warnings
- Footage shows cars, restaurant and hotel submerged in water after burn bursts banks in Grangemouth
An amber weather warning for severe rainfall is in place for parts of north and eastern Scotland.
The Met Office issued a fresh alert between 9pm on Saturday October 7 covering parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland.
It will remain in place until 2pm. The previous amber alert expired at 6am on Sunday.
The warning reads: “Another spell of heavy rain is expected to move east across northern Scotland during Sunday morning and clear during the afternoon.
“A further 20-30 mm of rain could fall fairly widely within the warning area with a few places seeing 40-50 mm, with much of this falling in a 6-9 hour period.”
It comes amid widespread flooding and disruption across the country as Scots are urged not to travel unless necessary.
Three weeks of rain could fall across parts of the country this weekend, with extreme rainfall in parts of Scotland expected to present a “danger to life”.
Ten people were airlifted to safety by the Coastguard after torrential rain caused multiple landslides in Argyll and Bute.
The landslips occurred on the A83 between Tarbet and Lochgilphead and on the A815.
Landslip at Rest and Be Thankful
The are no reported casualties although several vehicles were left stuck.
Footage captured by motorist Sarah Hunt-Smith showed the mud and debris spilling across the road. She was forced to turn back after the landslip swamped the carriageway just metres from her car on Saturday.
An aerial image of a landslip at Rest and Be Thankful was also shared by the Coastguard.
Hundreds of trains across Scotland were cancelled on Saturday with no cross-border trains running.
Some railway stations, including Bowling in West Dunbartonshire, saw tracks completely submerged in water.
Footage shared with STV News also showed cars, a hotel and a restaurant engulfed in floodwater in Cadgers Brae in Grangemouth.
SEPA flood warnings across 17 parts of Scotland
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), had issued 17 flood alerts & 49 flood warnings as of 6pm on Saturday October 7.
Vincent Fitzsimons, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said:
[embedded content]
“SEPA has issued Regional Flood Alerts and more locally specific Flood Warnings across Scotland due to the major rainfall event that is bringing prolonged, heavy rain throughout the day and into Sunday.
“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.
“Rain will move across central and western parts this morning, moving northwards through the day. Many areas will see heavy rain for well over 24hrs before it clears on Sunday. Of particular concern are communities in the amber area that extends from west central Scotland northwards.
“Further Local Flood Warnings are likely to be issued, people can always check our Flood Updates for all the latest information. We advise people living, working and travelling in the affected areas to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared for flooding impacts and consider whether their journey is necessary.”
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: “Officers have been dealing with significant disruption on the roads caused by the heavy rainfall and we would expect this to continue into Sunday.
[embedded content]
“It is important that we do everything we can to keep people safe and officers are out in communities helping those who need us.
“Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve. If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions and take extra time for your journey.”
Travel disruption as roads flooded and trains cancelled
The greatest impacts earlier on Saturday were experienced in Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, East and West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Lochaber, parts of Stirling, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands. In Argyll and Bute, several roads have been closed due to flooding and landslides, including:
- the A83 between Tarbet and Inverary
- the A815 between Dunoon and the A83
- the A816 between Lochgiphead and Oban
- the A85 at Loch Awe
Road operating companies are assisting Police Scotland with the closures and clear up operations, however due to the continuing rainfall it will not be possible to make an assessment of the landslides or undertake clear up operations until conditions improve.
Services running across the whole ScotRail network had been cancelled, delayed or revised on Saturday.
The rail network is also warning customers to expect significant disruption on Sunday after hundreds of services were cancelled on Saturday due to severe downpours and flooding.
They said replacement buses for cancelled lines, such as between Perth and Inverness, will be extremely limited on Sunday.
Here’s the state of play at Dalmuir Twin Tunnels. As you can see, the water level is massive – it’s up to around the window level on a train. The fixed pumps here have been completely overwhelmed by the extreme rainfall. It'll take time for this to clear once the rain stops. https://t.co/XeKiuenQfO pic.twitter.com/trLWhJeOEO[1][2]
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) October 7, 2023[3]On Saturday afternoon Justice Secretary and Minister for Resilience Angela Constance chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee (SGoRR), which was attended by First Minister Humza Yousaf, Transport Secretary Màiri McAllan, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop and key responder agencies.
They discussed the immediate response to the local impacts, as well as further actions being taken to support those communities most affected.
Ms Constance said: “As the weather warnings outline, heavy rainfall is expected to continue in many parts of the country into Sunday and some areas will have a month’s worth of rain over the course of the weekend.
“I would urge everyone across the country to heed the travel warnings being issued by Police Scotland and others – in particular, drivers in Argyll and Bute should avoid travel due to the significant disruption across the road network.
“We are aware that the initial, most severe impacts have been felt by people and businesses in Argyll and Bute, as well as other areas in the west and north of the country. Ministers are receiving regular updates on the situation from partners, including SEPA, the Met Office, and Police Scotland as it unfolds.
“This afternoon I convened SGoRR in recognition of the severity of the situation which will continue to develop over the next 24 hours.
“I am grateful for the efforts of partners and volunteers to help the public stay safe and where possible to restore services.
“Anyone seeking live updates should follow these partners organisations on social media, and can also consult the Ready Scotland website for general advice.”
References
- ^ https://t.co/XeKiuenQfO (t.co)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/trLWhJeOEO (t.co)
- ^ October 7, 2023 (twitter.com)