Oh Callum ...
SCOTLAND is today mopping up after Storm Callum, which brought heavy rain and flooding to swathes of the country.
A Met Office yellow “be aware” alert for the southwest of the country, the Lothians, Borders and Strathclyde areas was lifted at midnight. Saturday’s deluge came after a day of wet weather on Friday.
Forecasters warned yesterday that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings, while there is a chance of power cuts and loss of other services. “Fast-flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life,” warned The Met Office.
Wales and northwest England were also at risk of floods, with up to 200mm of rain falling in some areas.
“Further strong winds may bring down leaves and branches, increasing the likelihood of flooding due to blocked drains or culverts,” the Met Office said.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued two flood warnings, for the Upper Tay and, just downstream, in the area of Ballinluig and Logierait, where the River Tummel joins the Tay. Lower-level flood alerts were also in place for Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.
Sepa’s duty flooding manager, David Faichney, said yesterday the band of rain following Storm Callum would bring downpours of more than 30mm.
He said: “Rivers are likely to rise … I think there will be a lot of surface water. At this time of year, with leaves coming off the trees, drains tend to get blocked up ... Flooding of roads, that will happen locally.”
Traffic Scotland urged motorists to drive with caution yesterday due to surface water on the roads. Flooding was reported on sections of the M8.
One motorist told The Herald on Sunday he saw a car lose control on the M73 near Glasgow, and hit the central reservation.
“I was travelling south from Forfar,” said Alan Morrison. “The A9 was treacherous, with visibility poor and many drivers did not have their lights on.
“I saw a white BMW hit the central reservation on the M73, about a mile from the junction with the M74. There was a lot of standing water on the roads, with pools of water gathering in some places.”
On the transport network, some rail services were hit by delays, with the weather affecting the route between Preston and Scotland.
Strong winds also saw speed restrictions imposed on many routes – with reduced Virgin services between London Euston, Birmingham New Street, and Edinburgh and Glasgow.
One of the worst-affected areas in the UK was the village of Aberdulais in Neath Port Talbot where residents were ordered to evacuate their homes due to rising river levels amid reports of the worst floods there for 20 years.
In the town of Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons, where the River Usk burst its banks, some properties were also flooded, with up to 4ft of water.
High winds delayed the start of fracking at a site in Lancashire.
Work was expected to get under way at Preston New Road, Little Plumpton, near Blackpool yesterday after an environmental campaigner failed in a High Court bid to block operations.
But energy firm Cuadrilla said fracking had been postponed until tomorrow as the region felt the effects of Storm Callum.
Meanwhile, fresh landslips on Friday will keep the Rest and be Thankful closed over the weekend.
Heavy rain and strong winds brought 300 tonnes of debris from the hillside on to the A83 in Argyll and Bute as operators tried to clear landslips from earlier in the week.
The closure has caused a 60-mile diversion for motorists. Bear Scotland said work is continuing to repair the debris fencing, clear the carriageway and reinstate drainage. Northwest manager Eddie Ross said: “Storm Callum is continuing to bring more heavy rain to the area, limiting visibility and making conditions difficult for the teams to progress repairs and the clear-up of yesterday’s additional landslides.
“Despite this, teams are working exceptionally hard to do all they can to make the area safe. However, until then, the road and the Old Military Road local diversion has to remain closed for safety reasons.
“We’re aware of the impact this is having on the busy weekend and holiday traffic and we’re doing all we can to help ensure the diversion route via the A85 at Dalmally keeps moving by having further safety patrols on the route to help any motorists as required.”