Scotland braced for up to 100mm of rainfall

Up to 60mm of rain was forecast to fall overnight with more expected today.

The Met Office added that there was a small risk of up to 100mm of rain in parts of the south-east.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said other areas at risk included much of the east coast from Aberdeenshire to the Borders, but also Perthshire and west central Scotland.

Meanwhile, a large swathe of northern England was put on flood alert yesterday as a heavy band of rain threatened to cause disruption.

Homeowners and motorists were warned to be prepared as a band of rain moves northwards from the East Anglian region up to the north-east.

The Environment Agency said that people should be prepared to activate emergency procedures as there may be flash flooding and drains overflowing.

The areas most at risk are: Cumbria; Darlington; Durham; Hartlepool; Middlesbrough; North Yorkshire; Northumberland; Redcar and Cleveland; Stockton-on-Tees and Tyne and Wear.

The extreme rainfall alert was issued by the Flood Forecasting Centre and covers the period from 1pm yesterday until 8am today.

There is a 20 per cent probability of rainfall amounts exceeding 50 millimetres in six hours, with the possibility of up to 70 millimetres in some areas.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and urging people to be prepared.

"There is a chance of flash flooding and drains overflowing and we are urging people to look at our website."

People are being asked to keep up-to-date with developments on www.environment-agency.gov.uk

In Northern Ireland, three properties in the Claremount Gardens area of Warrenpoint were flooded as a result of torrential rainfall and flash flooding, which affected the local wastewater pumping station.

Northern Ireland Water said staff and contractors have been on site since early yesterday and that a clean-up operation is under way.