A Boxing Day battering from Bella

STORM Bella lashed Scotland with heavy rain and strong winds yesterday – with forecasters warning of more wild weather.

Sailings had to be halted on ferry routes between Ardrossan and Brodick on Arran, Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, Uig to Tarbert and Mallaig to the Small Isles.

In Argyll, the relief road to the landslide-prone A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll was shut at 3.30pm as a precaution.

Conditions south of the Border were even worse, as flooding and 70mph gales forced more than 1,300 English families to evacuate their homes, with Bella wreaking havoc as it swept in from the Atlantic. In Bedfordshire, benches, bus stops, cars and parking meters were barely visible as streets and roads were turned into rivers.

Forecasters say the dismal conditions are set to continue over the coming days towards Hogmanay, as winds reach up to 50mph. Greg Dewhurst of the Met Office said: ‘This cold spell will be with us for the next three to five days.

‘There is no sign of anything milder coming through until the first week of January.’

The Met Office has issued multiple warnings across the country. As one ends at 3pm this afternoon, another one begins hours later.

A yellow snow and ice warning is in place from 6pm this evening until 10am tomorrow for parts of Scotland including Central, Tayside, Fife, Strathclyde, the SouthWest and Lothian and Borders. Rain, sleet, snow and wintry showers are expected.

Scheduled sailings tomorrow are subject to delay or cancellation due to weather conditions.

ScotRail said it expected disruption at Saltcoats in Ayrshire, with waves overtopping the line and affecting the power supply.

Many train services have already been reduced due to the holiday weekend and fresh travel restrictions imposed from yesterday due to the pandemic.