Seven people, including four children, have been airlifted to safety from a farmhouse which was cut off by flooding following heavy rain.

They were evacuated from the property near Closeburn in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, by Royal Navy helicopter at around 6pm, police said.

The rain has forced dozens of homes to be evacuated and caused major road disruption in some parts of the country.

Around 40 houses in Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway, were evacuated, as were 25 in Dumfries after the River Nith burst its banks, flooding the Whitesands area.

Firefighters attended 140 incidents across Strathclyde and Dumfries and Galloway between 8am and 6pm and used boats to rescue some people.

A few homes were evacuated in Port Logan and Newton Stewart, while firefighters rescued 28 people from properties in Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway and 15 from six properties in New Cumnock in Ayrshire.

Police Scotland said the village of Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway was almost cut off at one point due to flooding on the A702, and a family had to be evacuated from a bungalow which was cut off by flood water.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued 31 flood warnings and 10 flood warnings for rivers around the country.

The heavy rain also caused problems on the roads, with the A76 at Kirkconnel closed and flooding on the A74 and A75.

A landslide on the A7 just south of Langholm closed the road for a short while while many minor roads were only passable with care.

Police advised motorists to travel only if necessary and to check routes before setting off.

Scotland's Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse visited the Whitesands area of Dumfries today to meet those affected by the flooding and view the new mobile Flood Pod, which contains sandbags and floodgates, made available to the public when necessary.

He said: "Across the country, the severe weather in the past days and weeks has unfortunately led to a number of flooding incidents. In these locations, determined work has been taking place at local level to keep people safe and, wherever possible, mitigate the impact of flooding.

"Here at Whitesands, which has been affected by flooding in the past, I'm pleased to see the innovative steps taken by Dumfries and Galloway Council to manage the flood risk in the area. The Flood Pod is an excellent way of ensuring that vital flood protection equipment can be deployed to those who need it at a crucial time like this.

"I'd like to pay tribute to all those involved in tackling flooding, both here in Dumfries and Galloway and other affected locations around Scotland. The council, local fire and rescue service and other emergency services have reacted very swiftly to minimise the impact of rising water levels and establish welfare centres for affected communities."

In Dundee some properties were evacuated after heavy rain caused a wall to collapse and a landslide at the rear of properties in Gardner Street. No one was injured.

In the north east, temporary flood barriers were moved to key sites in Stonehaven. Aberdeenshire, after a rise in water levels in the River Carron.

Stonehaven's volunteer flood wardens have also been updated on the situation.

Aberdeenshire Council's head of roads and landscape services Philip McKay said: "This is purely a precautionary step at this stage, given the rise in river levels over the course of today.

"While the forecast is for the rain to ease off, we continue to closely monitor river levels and weather forecasts to be ready to respond if necessary."