Scotland Weather: Nation braced for festive floods and gales

SCOTLAND is expected to be battered by heavy rain and winds gusting up to 80 miles per hours in the run-up to Christmas Day.

Flooding in Coldstream. Picture: TSPL

The Met Office has issued severe wind warnings for the Western and Northern Isles, as well as severe rain warnings for Strathclyde, Central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, Dumfries and Galloway, Lothian and the Borders.

Nine flood warnings and a flood alert were issed by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency for various parts of Perthshire and Tayside, including Pitlochry, Glen Lyon, Crieff, Ballinluig and Callander, as well as parts of Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and the Borders.

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said it had radically altered its timetable to try to ensure people could get home in time for Christmas. Changes have been made to services between Oban, Lochboisdale, Barra, Tiree and Coll, while an extra service is running between Ardrossan and Arran tonight.