Scotland Warned To Expect Deluge

7 November 2014, 06:01 | Updated: 7 November 2014, 06:40

Heavy rain is forecast to hit many parts of Scotland, with some areas issued with flood warnings.

The Met Office said outbreaks of rain would continue "well into Friday'' with the heaviest and most persistent downpours expected over south-west Scotland and the southern Highlands from Argyll across to Angus.

Its amber "be prepared'' warning covers the areas of Central, Tayside and Fife, Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde and Grampian as in place until 6pm.

The chief forecaster's assessment said: "The rain will be persistent and heavy at times, with 25-40 mm widely within the warning area.

"The largest rainfall totals will be over south facing hills across Dumfries and Galloway, and the southern Highlands from Argyll across to Angus, with 50-75mm likely, and isolated peaks of 100mm in the more mountainous areas. Some shorter spells of heavy rain are also expected at lower levels increasing the surface water flood risk.''

A risk of travel disruption is also predicted and police have asked the public to take extra caution.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "The heavy rain may lead to some disruption on local roads and to ferry services over the next couple of days, especially at peak times.

"With the conditions we can also expect to see flooding in some areas and road users should be prepared before they set off on their journeys. While we will do everything we can to mitigate the impacts of the conditions, people travelling should be prepared and plan their journeys accordingly.''

Police Scotland said officers will be patrolling trunk roads and other priority routes.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has also issued 12 flood warnings, with many of them in Perthshire. A further 10 flood alerts were issued for other areas including in Tayside, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway and Fife.