A major incident has been stood down in Hawick after hundreds of homes were evacuated due to floods.
River Teviot in the town has now reached its peak level and is beginning to recede.
Residents were evacuated in a multi-agency rescue operation last night amid concerns water could engulf houses.
Police worked alongside the fire service, council and NHS Borders to clear the area due to the extreme weather.
But now SEPA has confirmed the river has 'levelled out' and it is expected that the river level will drop steadily throughout the course of tonight and into tomorrow morning.
A maximum river level of 2.9m was reached at 7.30pm but the evacuation of residents has now stopped as they are allowed to return home.
They had been warned yesterday that 'significant damage' was likely as floods 'posed a risk to public safety'.
A decision was also taken to close Trinity Primary School and Hawick High School and the health board decided to close Teviot Health Centre and all services operating within it.
The rest centre at Teviotdale Leisure Centre will be stood down at 9pm tonight, with members of SBC staff on hand to support members of the public sheltering there to return to their homes where assistance is required.
There are no concerns for any further flooding in other communities as river levels in areas of note are now falling.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "The major incident in Hawick as a result of heavy rain and flooding has been stood down.
"While residents who were evacuated have been advised they can return to their homes, a number of roads are still closed at this time."
