Firefighters were stretched to the limit yesterday as flooding affected several areas in the west of Scotland following a third day of heavy rain.

Firefighters were stretched to the limit yesterday as flooding affected several areas in the west of Scotland following a third day of heavy rain.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service said it received about 100 flood-related calls in a few hours as rain affected homes, roads and rail services.

Late last night firefighters attended a severe flooding incident at Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, after a burn burst its banks.

A spokesman said eight homes in Eastwoodmains Road were evacuated and floodwaters were up to 12ft deep in at least one of the properties.

Residents were advised to stay with friends or relatives after the gas and electricity supply to their homes was affected. There were no reports of any injuries.

Earlier two feet of water covered streets in Johnstone, Renfrewshire. Roads in the Clarkston area of East Renfrewshire were also affected as were parts of Greenock in Inverclyde and Bellshill in South Lanarkshire.

A spokeswoman for East Ayrshire Council said three primary schools had closed early after a burst burn caused flooding in the Newmilns area.

She added that children in one school had been held back until 4pm after road closures hampered parents from coming to pick them up.

The Galston roundabout in Newmilns was closed and traffic diverted. Several houses in the town's Main Street were under two feet of water but there were no reports of any injuries or rescue requests.

Hundreds of rush-hour rail commuters using Central Station in Glasgow suffered delays after flooding in the Fairlie and Thornliebank areas affected services to Largs, Ardrossan and East Kilbride.

A First ScotRail spokeswoman said buses were laid on for affected passengers and normal services were resumed at about 6.45pm.

Late last night the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had four flood watches in place - at rivers in Edinburgh and Lothians; rivers in Falkirk; the Scottish Borders, and in west-central Scotland.

The Met Office said some heavy showers were expected throughout this afternoon and evening.

The latest flooding problems followed several other incidents across Scotland in the past few days.