‘Danger to life’ warning as weather causes landslips, cancelled trains and travel warnings<br />Amber weather warning for parts of Scotland as heavy rain hits.<br /><br />Widespread flooding in parts of Scotland was expected to present a “danger to life”, as heavy rain led to trains being cancelled and travel disruption.<br /><br />A number of rail lines and roads – including the M9 motorway – were hit by flooding on Saturday morning, with the rain expected to continue into Sunday.<br /><br />The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for a large part of central Scotland, while a yellow weather warning covers most of the country.<br /><br />As of midday, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), had issued 47 flood warnings and 17 regional flood alerts.<br /><br />Some railway stations, including Bowling in West Dunbartonshire, saw tracks completely submerged in water.<br /><br />ScotRail said there would not be replacement buses for the routes it closed, including those between Perth and Inverness. Trains from England have also stopped running north of the border.<br /><br />A series of landslips led police to issue a warning for drivers not to travel in Argyll and Bute.<br />There have been several landslips affecting roads connecting rural communities. Roads closed include the A83 between Tarbet and Lochgilphead because of multiple landslips.<br /><br />Bear Scotland, which maintains trunk roads, said its engineers were clearing roads and culverts but some would not even be inspected until Sunday.<br /><br />Vincent Fitzsimmons, Sepa’s flood duty manager, said there is a “major rainfall event that is bringing prolonged, heavy rain throughout the day and into Sunday”.<br /><br />He said: “I want to be very clear that this is not a normal Autumn day for Scotland.<br />“We’re expecting extensive river and surface water flooding in affected areas. There is a danger to life.<br /><br />“There will be widespread impacts to road and rail. There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding.”<br /><br />He continued: “Rain will move across central and western parts this morning, moving northwards through the day.<br /><br />“Many areas will see heavy rain for well over 24 hours before it clears on Sunday.<br />“Of particular concern are communities in the amber area that extends from west central Scotland northwards.<br /><br />“Examples include Aviemore and communities down the Spey Valley, and also Milngavie, Aberfoyle, Callander and Bridge Of Allan.”<br /><br />He advised people in areas such as Aberfoyle and Aviemore to check for updates and advice on Sepa’s website.<br /><br />ScotRail’s managing director Alex Hynes posted on Twitter, saying: “We have some lines of route closed and significant disruption in the Amber weather alert area.<br /><br />“Local roads are also becoming impassable in many areas. Please check before you travel and stay safe!”<br /><br />The Scottish Government’s resilience room officials met on Friday to discuss the upcoming rain.<br />Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.<br /><br />
