Families in flood fears
Communities warned as river levels rise, while motorists urged to avoid driving
ABOUT 600 people have been evacuated from their homes over renewed flooding fears as commuters were warned of ice, snow and difficult driving conditions persisting into the weekend.
Heavy rain swept in on Tuesday by Storm Jonas significantly raised river levels in the Borders, leading to a series of school closures across the region.
Police said routes around Hawick and Jedburgh were badly affected by standing water and urged motorists to avoid driving in the areas if possible.
Hundreds of residents in Hawick had to leave their homes as emergency rest centres were set up.
Firefighters also had to rescue a bus driver caught in flood water on the B6405 near Hawick.
A Borders Council spokesman said the “emergency planning bunker” had been opened at 8.30am to deal with the impact of heavy rain on the area.
He said: “Due to rising river levels and risk to property, emergency rest centres have been established in Hawick and Jedburgh.”
The Met Office has put in place yellow warnings for today and tomorrow as temperatures are expected to dip below freezing, leaving drivers facing ice and snow on the roads.
Brownhall, Caerlaverock, Crossmichael and Hutton primaries, and Dumfries and Galloway College campus were also closed by flooding.
In Aberdeenshire, a council road worker died after he was knocked down by a lorry while carrying out flood repair work. William Black, 56, of Turriff, was working on the B9005 when the collision happened near Gight, in Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Scotland TranServ said: “The persistent, heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours has resulted in severe flooding at multiple locations on the A75 and the A76 in Dumf ries and Galloway.
“Scotland TranServ has deployed 16 operatives from our local depots with plant and equipment and are working with Police Scotland to help alleviate the unprecedented volume of water on the affected trunk road routes.”
The Environment Minister, Aileen McLeod, said: “The Scottish Government is continuing to work with local authorities and the emergency services to coordinate a multi-agency response and ensure that people and businesses are fully prepared for possible flooding.”
Forecasters warned of the prospect of road and bridge closures as well as ferry cancellations as strong winds are expected in northern parts of Scotland tomorrow.
The Met Office said: “A rapidly deepening area of low pressure is expected to track close to northern Scotland during Friday. There is uncertainty over the exact track of the depression and the depth of it, which in turn leads to uncertainty in the location and strength of the strongest winds.
“Currently, the far north of Scotland, particularly the Northern Isles, looks the most probable area to see the strongest winds, with the potential for damaging storm-force winds here. Showers, frequent and heavy at times, will turn increasingly to snow through Friday evening. The heaviest snow showers are most likely [to fall] to the north of the Central Belt of Scotland. Elsewhere, snow accumula- tions will be more localised. Road surface temperatures are expected to fall below freezing overnight into Saturday morning, leading to a risk of icy patches forming.”
Meanwhile, major works are being carried out to tackle sewer flooding in Glasgow. As part of a £250 million, five-year upgrade, Scottish Water is investing more than £12m in the project in the Elmvale Row area of Springburn.