Snowsports fans set for another good season on the slopes
SEVEN people were airllifted to safety from a farm last night, after heavy rain caused flooding in Scotland, with the rest of the UK braced for more storms as the new year begins.
The group of people, which included four children, were rescued from a farmhouse near Closeburn in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, by a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Gannet at Prestwick in Ayrshire. after rain forced families to be evacuated from dozens of homes and caused major road disruption.
Torrential rain and flooding caused chaos across southern and western parts of Scotland – and the wet and windy conditions are set to continue into the new year.
However, first footers are expected to be given some respite as conditions are forecast to settle briefly as the bells signal the beginning of 2014.
Forty houses in Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway, were evacuated, as were 25 in Dumfries after the Nith burst its banks.
Firefighters yesterday evacuated more than 14 people from flooded properties in the town of New Cumnock, Ayrshire.
The weather conditions blighted travel for many as high winds and rain closed roads and forced the cancellation of ferries.
The Met Office has issued an amber “be prepared” warning for parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire and a number of yellow “be aware” warnings for rain over other regions, including Central, Tayside, Grampian and the Highlands.
A Met Office spokesman said: “Hogmanay will see a band of rain come across the whole of Scotland during the morning. There will be drier and brighter weather for a time, especially around midnight.”
Yesterday, the A76 Cumnock to Sanquhar road and the A713 Dalmellington to Castle Douglas roads were blocked.
In the village of
Carsphairn, Dumfries and Galloway, residents described the conditions as some of the worst they had experienced in 40 years. Several properties were reported to be under water, while rescue services removed a stranded car on the A713 road, which runs through the village.
Emergency services also helped residents hit by flooding in Port Logan on the Rhins of Galloway.
The Whitesands area in Dumfries was flooded after the Nith burst its banks. Water levels were being monitored on a number of other rivers including the Cree in Newton Stewart.
The A701 was blocked by flooding south of Moffat after SNOWSPORT fans are gearing up for a bumper New Year, with Scotland’s resorts predicting the current conditions will herald another good season on the domestic slopes.
While wind and rain battered the south and west of the country yesterday, the peaks have enjoyed alpine conditions for the past few days.
Good snow cover with light winds attracted skiers, snowboarders and tourists to Scotland’s five ski centres.
About 3,000 have already ventured on to the slopes at Cairngorm Mountain since Saturday, while hundreds turned out at Glencoe, Nevis Range, the Lecht and Glenshee.
Colin Kirkwood of Cairngorm Mountain said: “Everything has come together for us, peak holiday time, people having been starved of skiing up to this point in their Christmas holiday, along with great snow, clear skies, sunshine and light winds.”
Heather Negus of Nevis Range said: “We are open for skiing and boarding right through the New Year period, weather permitting. Snow cover is excellent and there’s great sliding on soft snow.”
She added: “The resort was battered by the recent storms, recording winds of up to 142mph in early December, and lightning strikes.
“A number of the upper lifts are still not operational, but engineering are working hard in difficult conditions to repair the damage.”
The Glencoe Mountain resort has recorded about 1,000 chair lift users over the past few days. a lorry and car got stuck in the water.
In Glasgow, the M77 southbound entry slip was closed because of flooding at junction two Barrhead Road. Some vehicles broke down after trying to negotiate flood water under a railway bridge on Pollokshaws Road in Glasgow.
The M77 motorway was closed for a while due to flooding at junction two at Pollok, next to the busy Silverburn shopping centre.
Nearby, Police Scotland had to evacuate dozens of animals by boat after its Dog Branch service in Pollok Park was inundated by the White Cart River, which burst its banks. At the King George V playing fields in Thornliebank, goalposts were almost totally submerged by the floods.
Trains from London Euston to Edinburgh and Glasgow were also disrupted by flooding.
Virgin Trains said there were no services running between Carlisle and Carstairs, due to flooding between Lockerbie and Carstairs.
Trains were also affected after a body was discovered on the tracks at Kirknewton in West Lothian. The First TransPennine Express from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central was also affected by the weather.
A total of 52.6mm of rain had fallen in Threave in Kirkcudbrightshire between 10pm on Sunday and 10am yesterday.
Scott Lees, head of network operations at Transport Scotland, said: “Although we would expect to see fewer people travelling at this point in the holiday season, we would advise people to prepare for this, drive to conditions and allow extra time for any journeys they are planning to make.”