Three people have been rescued from their vehicles after heavy rain caused flooding in parts of northern Scotland. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for rain covering Perth and Kinross, Angus and Aberdeenshire until 6pm on Thursday, while a yellow warning for a wider area further north and west remains in place until 11.59pm on Friday.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service rescued two people from a minibus on the B977 near Kintore at around 8.30am on Thursday. A separate incident near Banchory saw one person rescued from a car. Both groups were taken to safety and checked over by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 27 flood warnings in place, covering parts of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Angus, Orkney, the Scottish Borders and Tayside. Seven less-severe flood alerts have also been issued. Bear Scotland has warned of disruption on roads, including the A85 between Crieff and Lochearnhead in Perthshire, which is flooded but still accessible with caution.
First Minister John Swinney urged residents in Perthshire to take care and follow travel advice. The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room held a meeting to discuss the flooding response, with Justice Secretary Angela Constance warning that heavy rain is forecast to continue over the coming days. Network Rail has warned that services between Pitlochry and Dunkeld and Birnam may be cancelled if the River Tay continues to rise.
Ferry operator CalMac has cancelled many services, with further disruption possible. Sepa advised that river levels are rising and flooding impacts are likely in Tayside, the Angus hills and south Aberdeenshire, with low-lying land, roads and properties at risk.
