Train services cancelled and roads flooded as rain batters Scotland

Heavy rain has flooded roads and cancelled rail services in parts of south west Scotland.

An amber weather warning was issued for Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, starting at 9pm on Wednesday and continuing until Thursday morning.

Around 60 to 80mm of rainfall is expected to build up, with up to 100mm falling in some areas.

A separate yellow warning extends to South Lanarkshire and will be in place until 3pm on Thursday.

The Met Office said there could be a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater”.

The amber alerts also warn of potential damage to homes and businesses from flooding, dangerous driving conditions and travel disruption.

Communities could be cut off by flooded roads and face power cuts, according to the Met Office.

ScotRail said a number of services had been affected by heavy rain, with flooding at Bishoppbriggs and Dalmuir closing two rail lines.

Speed restrictions have been put in place on services due to surface water and a replacement bus service between Stirling and Alloa has been introduced.

⚠️ Due to extremely heavy rain, speed restrictions have been imposed on many routes for safety reasons. Unfortunately, these will cause delays and add time to your journey.

For full details, Please check our line updates here.

⬇️https://t.co/gv0MwedF0k pic.twitter.com/Lf0pF0gSXX
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) October 27, 2021

Network Rail advised passengers to travel only if the journey is “absolutely necessary”.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “Extreme rainfall can pose a serious risk to the railway, causing landslips or damaging our infrastructure and bridges.

“The safety of our passengers and colleagues is our main priority during periods of poor weather, and slowing services down and running fewer trains will help us manage these conditions for everyone.”

Meanwhile GlasGlow announced that its light show at Glasgow Botanic Gardens had to be cancelled last minute due to blocked drain at its entrance.

A post on the GlasGlow Facebook page said: “In the last 45 minutes the drain at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens has been overwhelmed and half a foot of water is blocking the entrance and road.

“The council have been alerted but unfortunately the entrance will be inaccessible to allow us to open safely. Inside the gardens, the show is fine and ready to go, the problem unfortunately is on the roads and out with our control.

“We’re so sorry for the short notice however this situation has just arisen. If you’re a ticket holder for this evening a full refund will be processed and an email is on its way.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency tweeted: “A band of persistent and heavy rain in the south may lead to localised flooding from surface water and watercourses on Wednesday causing disruption to travel and flooding of low-lying land, especially in built up areas.”

The agency issued a flood warning for Ettrick Valley, while three flood alerts were in place in the Scottish Borders.