Floods & travel chaos as storm hits Scotland hard

Flooding and travel disruption hit parts of Scotland yesterday as strong winds and heavy rain swept across the country.

High winds are still battering Scotland. Picture: SWNS

The Met Office issued an amber “be prepared” warning for the Highlands and Western Isles where prolonged and heavy rain hit yesterday and are continuing into today.

Kinlochewe, in Wester Ross, was drenched with 103mm of rainfall over the weekend while the Cluanie Inn, in Glenmoriston, received 83mm, according to the Met Office.

Winds gusted to 52mph in Edinburgh yesterday and up to 58mph in Benbecula and 61mph in Tiree.

More than a dozen cars were trapped for five hours between two landslips as heavy rain caused flooding and travel disruption across Scotland.

The A82 trunk road was closed in two places between Fort William and Ballachulish, near Corrychurrachan, because of landslips.

Police Scotland said 15 cars had become trapped between the two landslips but that nobody was in any danger.

Engineers from Bear Scotland and the Forestry Commission cleared the blockage but planned to close the route at least overnight to assess the area.

Inspector Donald Campbell said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who were stuck between the blockages for their good spirit and patience whilst we dealt with the incident.”

The Met Office said the worst of the conditions were across Lochaber and through the Great Glen.

It also issued yellow “be aware” warnings for Strathclyde, Central, Tayside and Fife, where rain and gales are predicted with gusts of up to 70mph possible in exposed areas. Weather warnings for the slow-moving system continue from the Met Office into the middle of tomorrow.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued three flood warnings in Caithness and Sutherland and Easter Ross and the Great Glen, with eight further flood alerts throughout the country.

CalMac services, some of which were facing winds of up to 55 knots, were cancelled for Barra and Eriskay, Coll and Tiree, Colonsay, Iona, Islay, Lismore, Mull, North Uist and Harris, Raasay, Skye and to the islands of Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna.

A replacement bus service between Gourock and Dunoon was put on by Argyll Ferries as their sailings were suspended, and the MV Horssey from Lerwick to Aberdeen was cancelled.

The Skye and Dornoch bridges were also closed to high-sided vehicles, according to Traffic Scotland.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland yesterday warned travellers to be prepared.

He said: “While we will do everything we can to mitigate the impacts, people travelling should be prepared and plan their journeys accordingly.

“A great deal of work has been undertaken to make sure that Scotland is prepared for any likely transport disruption.

“Before heading out, we ask the public to consider the conditions and listen to radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or Twitter feed, and consult their local travel operators.”

Stormy conditions are forecast to continue for the Highlands and the west through today and gradually cooling tonight. Calmac advised passengers to check its website.