Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Conor Riordan & Douglas Barrie & Jack Aitchison

More weather chaos on the way for Scotland with torrential rain and 'danger to life' warning issued

Heavy rain and flooding has sparked travel chaos across Scotland - and it's only going to get worse.

The main railway line between Scotland's biggest cities has been disrupted causing havoc for travellers - many of whom are visiting the capital for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Met Office have now issued a yellow warning - which includes a potential "danger to life" alert - across the country this weekend.

A yellow rain warning is in place for the entire day on Friday covering all of Scotland, except for the north-east.

And on Saturday a yellow thunder warning is in place, and won't be lifted until 6am on Sunday.

The Met Office warning states there is a "chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings".

It also warns of a "small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life".

Drivers are being warned of difficulties on the roads with potential closures - with similar disruption expected on the railways.

In the worst affected regions, including parts of northern Scotland, communities may see 40-60mm of rain during the warning period, with 10-15mm of rain expected widely.

Conditions are set to get more extreme on both Saturday and Sunday with the Met Office advising of thunderstorms.

The potential for power cuts is to be expected, as well as a risk of lighting strikes.

Trains were cancelled after heavy rainfall flooded the railways (Network Rail Scotland)

Neil Armstrong, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office said: "This low-pressure system will bring challenging conditions, including unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain, from the west during Friday and Saturday.

"Summer storms - compared with those in autumn and winter - always have the potential to create additional impacts because more people are likely to be outdoors, especially by the coast.

"Additionally with trees in full leaf they are more vulnerable to being brought down by strong winds."

It comes after Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews spent most of today draining a flooded tunnel between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Around 50mm of rainfall hit the area yesterday, causing disruption on the line near Broxburn in West Lothian.

As a result, trains through the busy line were delayed or cancelled for almost 24 hours.

Network Rail Scotland said they have been working through the night clearing the flooding after 60% of August's rainfall fell in just a few hours.

Disruption is expected for drivers across Scotland (PA)

They said: "We would like to apologise to everyone caught up in the disruption caused by the flooding at #Winchburgh last night and this morning.

"Sheer volume of rainfall in a short period over whelmed drainage with 60% of August rainfall total falling in just a few hours in some areas.

"We have worked overnight to clear the flood water from the tunnel and work is ongoing to clear the line and get trains running again."

And ScotRail tweeted to say it was "expecting disruption to services through Winchburgh to continue for the rest of the day".

Elsewhere, part of a rail route in the west of Scotland will be closed for at least a week after severe flooding swept away part of the track.

Replacement buses have been introduced along sections of the West Highland Line, which runs from Glasgow Queen Street to Oban and Mallaig.

The damaged tracks on the West Highland Line (PA)

Heavy rain flooded the track between Tyndrum Lower and Dalmally on Monday, forcing the line to be closed in that area.

ScotRail expects the disruption to last until just before midnight on Monday, although the operator said it could take longer to repair the damage.

Engineers will be working to repair the track at sites around Ardlui, Crianlarich and Tyndrum, where the heavy rain and flooding washed the trackbed from under the railway.

At the worst affected sites, between Ardlui and Crianlarich, more than 1,000 tons of material has been swept away.

Yesterday of a man cycling through floodwater near Edinburgh Airport, where a number of drivers were left stuck in their cars.

The shock footage shows water reaching high up to the side of the vehicles at an underpass at the exit to the A8.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.