Edinburgh hit by floods due to heavy rain

News Reporter

Thursday 30 August 2012

HEAVY downpours have caused flooding in parts of Edinburgh and disrupted plans for the end of festival concert and fireworks display.

MAKING A SPLASH: The heavy rain brought disruption to Edinburgh yesterday.

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Helen McArdle

Firefighters had to pump six inches of floodwater from the Usher Hall after thunder storms wreaked havoc across Scotland's capital and several other parts of the country.

It came just hours before the festival venue was due to host a performance by classical ensemble The English Concert and American countertenor David Daniels. But the concert went ahead as scheduled last night after the building was successfully cleared of water.

Karl Chapman, general manager at the Usher Hall, said: "Due to heavy and sustained rainfall, we experienced some flooding in the building. "The water was pumped out with the assistance of the Fire Service. Rehearsals continued throughout the afternoon and the concert went ahead as planned."The bad weather also forced the organisers of the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert – which is due to close the festival with a display over Edinburgh Castle on Sunday night – to move its family viewing area.Inverleith Park was deemed unsuitable by Edinburgh City Council after it became badly waterlogged. The organisers now plan to release additional tickets to the Princes Street Gardens viewing site from 10am today Waverley Bridge has now also been earmarked as a second viewing area by the council. It will be closed to traffic on Sunday during the display with speakers placed across the bridge to broadcast the music being played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Another site on the north of Princes Street, between Castle Street and Frederick Street, will also be available for families and people with disabilities. Several other streets in the capital were affected by flash floods, as almost one-and-a-half inches of rain fell in three hours. Flooding and deep surface water was reported at the Cowgate, Princes Street at Castle Street, Slateford Road at Allan Park, Balcarres Street and the City Bypass between Calder and Baberton.Bus services were diverted at Allan Park due to flooding and many of the roads surrounding the area were congested as drivers tried to avoid the area.Scottish Water said customers in Edinburgh and the Lothians may have problems with their drains because of the sudden downpour. The heavy rain caused havoc in other parts of Scotland.Scores of prospective students were among travellers stranded on a busy train after two landslips in Perthshire brought part of the country's rail network to a standstill yesterday. Teenagers on their way home from Dundee University's Open Day were stuck south of Dunblane on the rush-hour Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service for almost two hours.Elsewhere in Dunblane the flooding caused chaos for both motorists and homeowners. Central Scotland Fire and Rescue sent appliances to try and clear waterlogged roadways after the River Allan and other smaller burns in the town burst their banks. Flooding on the rail line between Motherwell and Lanark caused delays and disruption, with buses laid on to transport passengers from Motherwell to Wishaw and Lanark. Police in Dumfries and Galloway had to step in after flooding in the Langholm area caused rocks and debris to slide on to the A7 road at Auchenrivock. Drivers were asked to avoid the area as police warned of "dangerous" conditions and worked to clear the debris.The Met Office has no further weather warnings in place for Scotland this week, although heavy rain is forecast to return to the Central Belt tomorrow.

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Edinburgh hit by floods due to heavy rain

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