The Met Office has issued a series of weather alerts, including amber and yellow warnings, as heavy rainfall threatens flooding and widespread disruption across parts of the UK.
An amber warning valid until 6pm on Thursday covers areas in Scotland including Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, the Highlands, Eilean Siar, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray. A yellow warning for persistent rain remains in effect for most of north-east Scotland until 11:59pm on Friday.
Up to 20mm of rain is forecast to fall on Thursday across south Wales, Somerset, and parts of Devon and Dorset, where a yellow warning comes into place at 8am. The Met Office warned that rain falling on saturated ground could lead to flooding and disruption. The warning runs until 4pm when the heaviest rain is expected to clear to the north east.
A further yellow warning for Northern Ireland is in place from 10am on Thursday for the rest of the day, with up to 40mm predicted in some places, mainly on high ground. The Met Office said homes and businesses are likely to face flooding in the more affected areas, with delays or cancellations to public transport, and some communities may be cut off. Drivers have been warned to take care, and power cuts are possible.
ScotRail has imposed speed restrictions on its Perth to Inverness route until 9.30am on Saturday, and its Aberdeen to Inverness routes until 12pm on Friday. Ferry operator CalMac has cancelled all Oban-Coll-Tiree services on Thursday and warned that other services may be subject to cancellations or delays. Restrictions were in place on the Forth Road Bridge on Thursday morning due to high winds, and drivers were advised to take caution on various crossings around Scotland.
