Children rescued as deluge swamps swathes of Scotland

SCHOOL children were among more than 40 people rescued by firefighters as heavy rain caused flood chaos across western and central Scotland.

SCHOOL children were among more than 40 people rescued by firefighters as heavy rain caused flood chaos across western and central Scotland.

The storms also brought misery for commuters after two motorways and several railway lines were closed yesterday by floods and landslips, with water cascading into several stations.

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The Met Office warned of further bad weather tonight, with storm-force winds expected to gust to 70mph across northern Scotland, and with sleet on higher roads.

There is also the risk of further flooding on already saturated ground, after some areas were deluged with half their average monthly rainfall in 24 hours.

Last night, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had flood warnings in place for much of the Central Belt, Perthshire and southern Scotland, with the rest of mainland Scotland, apart from Aberdeenshire, on flood watch.

All 27 pupils and two teachers at Abington Primary School Abington, South Lanarkshire were led to safety through knee-high water after the building was engulfed by a burn bursting its banks.

A further 12 people, including nine children, were rescued from a school bus and three cars which had become trapped by the Kype Water flooding on the B7086 at Strathaven in South Lanarkshire.

A woman was rescued from her car in Callander.

The M9 – part of the main route between England and the Highlands – was closed between junctions nine and ten near Stirling, while more than ten miles of the M8 and A8 were closed between Greenock and Bishopton. Police said there was “substantial” standing traffic due to the closure.

Other roads shut by flooding included the A811 in Drymen, Stirlingshire, where the River Endrick burst its banks, the A737 in north Ayrshire and the A814 near Faslane naval base. Croftamie, near Drymen, was cut off for a time, while access to others near Alloa was difficult.

Central Scotland Fire and Rescue said conditions were “absolutely horrendous”.

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Trains were severely affected in Inverclyde and North Ayrshire. Services between Paisley and both Gourock and Wemyss Bay were halted by flooding and fallen trees, with the Ardrossan-Largs stretch shut by flooding and a landslip at West Kilbride.

The sheer volume of water caused waterfalls to form over walls and down steps into Bishopton station in Renfrewshire and Bogston near Greenock.

A landslip at Kirkconnel in Dumfries closed the Kilmarnock-Dumfries line.

Passengers were stranded on several routes because flooding also closed roads, so replacement buses were unable to run.

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: “We are working closely with industry partners to limit the impact of the severe weather. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by circumstances outwith our control.”

The Glasgow Subway was closed for more than one hour by flooding at Partick.

Ferries on the west coast were also disrupted, with some sailings cancelled on the main Arran route between Ardrossan and Brodick, and between Mallaig and Armadale on Skye.

Strong winds are thought to have caused a 10ft glass panel to break and hang over a pavement on the tenth floor of an office block in Finnieston Street, near the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow.

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A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: “We had reports of glass falling from a building due to very high wind.”

Christmas lights switch-ons in Greenock and Port Glasgow last night were postponed.

West of Scotland SNP MSP Stuart McMillan called for a “flooding summit” to tackle flooding which had affected Inverclyde “for too long”.

He said: “We are again witnessing terrible flooding in Inverclyde which is causing lengthy delays and road closures.

“The closure of the A8 road network in Inverclyde is a major issue for everyone, including those travelling to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We understand the concerns raised and recognise the need for co-ordinated action to manage flood risk across the whole of Scotland.”

Dawyck Botanic Garden, near Peebles, said the risk of trees coming down had increased by the “severely saturated ground”.

The RSPB said the disruption underlined the urgency of sustainable flood prevention measures by restoring flood plains and incorporating wetland features into drainage systems.

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