A NUMBER of elderly people living on the coast had to be evacuated from their homes after strong winds and high waves battered northern Scotland.

Nine residents of the Turners Court sheltered housing complex in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, were moved from their ground-floor properties "as a precaution" amid concerns about flooding in the beachfront area.

The move came as wind and heavy rain hit parts of Scotland, prompting a number of flood and severe weather warnings to be issued.

Met Office yellow "be prepared" warnings remain in place for wind and rain in the Highlands and the Grampian region.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had flood warnings in place for Caithness and Sutherland, Easter Ross, Speyside, Tayside and Aberdeenshire.

Police in the north east said the weather created high waves at seafront areas, as well as flooding in some parts across Grampian region.

Officers said many of the region's rivers were at a higher level than usual and advised the public to avoid any activities that could put their safety at risk, including fishing.

The evacuation of residents in Turners Court. Stonehaven, involved police, Aberdeenshire Council and other agencies.

Water and pebbles came over the sea wall on to the beachfront and water reached some distance towards the High Street. A rest centre was established at Mackie Academy and Aberdeenshire Council handed out sandbags to residents in the beach area, where water seeped into some properties.

Police, council officials and a minibus were placed on standby to help with any further evacuations.

Willie Munro, Kincardine and Mearns area manager for the council, said: "We are keeping a close eye on the situation and although high tide is now past, we know things can change very rapidly.

"The rest centre is set up and available should it be required and additional sandbags are being dropped off in the area of coastal flooding for anyone who needs them."

Meanwhile, trains were cancelled between Aberdeen and Inverurie when the line was blocked by a landslip caused by flooding.

More than 41mm of rainfall was recorded between Monday night and yesterday morning at South Uist in the Western Isles, while gusts of 84mph were recorded at the South Uist Range, while Altnaharra, Tiree and Machrihanish experienced winds of well over 70mph.

At the same time high winds also saw the Forth Road Bridge, Erskine Bridge and Dornoch Bridge closed to high-sided vehicles and the Skye Bridge was shut for a time.

The Met Office has yellow weather warnings in place for today for Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands and the Grampian area, advising about high winds and, in some cases, heavy rainfall.

It warned the public to be aware of the risk of disruption to transport, especially to ferry crossings.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: "The high winds and rain are likely to continue into the morning, but will clear after that and the weather will return to normal for this time of year by the afternoon."

Earlier, four people were taken to hospital after a five-car pile-up in dense fog. One woman had to be cut free by firefighters after the rush-hour crash on the A8 at Shawhead, near Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

Another woman and two men received treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital after the incident, which happened about 8.45am.

Two lorries and van were involved in a collision on the A9 at Dunkeld in Perthshire. One lorry driver had to be cut free and was taken to hospital after the crash, which happened about 8am.