Scotland flood warnings: SEPA advice for road users and communities

A yellow weather warning was issued by the Met Office on Friday evening[1], warning of heavy rainfall.

The affected area begins just north of Helensburgh and spans the entirety of the west of Scotland north of the town, with the exception of the Outer Hebrides and a handful of other islands on the western coast.

The warnings come into place at 6pm on Saturday.

In a post to Twitter/X, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: "There is likely to be prolonged rainfall in the north west from this afternoon until Monday morning which will bring significant surface water flooding impacts.

"This will affect transport[3] infrastructure, potentially causing significant disruption to local travel routes so please plan ahead and check your driving conditions before you travel."

Regional flood alerts are in place for: Argyll and Bute, Caithness and Sutherland, Easter Ross and Great Glen, Skye and Lochaber, and Wester Ross.

They have advised the public not to walk of drive into flood water, as well as to check road conditions and public transport before travelling.

David Scott, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: "Prolonged rainfall in the north west of Scotland from this afternoon (Saturday) until Monday morning is likely to bring significant surface water flooding impacts affecting transport infrastructure, including road and rail, and causing significant disruption to local travel routes in the north west.

"Please don't walk or drive into flood water. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.

"We would advise people to check transport routes and road conditions before travelling, check the latest Met Office weather alerts, Ready Scotland website for advice on preparing for severe weather, follow @SEPAFlood on X for the latest information as well as checking our website for flood alerts in your area."

References

  1. ^ was issued by the Met Office on Friday evening (www.thenational.scot)
  2. ^ Ministers to draw up plan to allow asylum seekers to work in Scotland (www.thenational.scot)
  3. ^ transport (www.thenational.scot)