'Significant' flood risk for Saturday as Met Office warning extended

Residents of Brechin have already had to be evacuated amid unprecedented flood levels in Angus, with further disruption expected over the weekend.

Aberdeenshire Council has warned of “considerable risk of flooding” on the River Don, while train operator ScotRail has warned disruption to services could last until Sunday due to the impact of Storm Babet.

A spokesperson for Aberdeenshire City Council said: “Latest modelling from Sepa is indicating that there is now a considerable risk of flooding on the River Don at Inverurie, Kemnay and Kintore tomorrow between 10am and 2pm.

“This has the potential to impact properties in low-lying areas and we would urge residents and businesses to get prepared and take immediate steps to protect their own property from flooding.”

Read More: Hundreds left stranded with no food and water as train forced to stop at Lockerbie

Angus Council confirmed on Friday some homes in Monifieth, near Dundee, would be evacuated.

Councillor Lloyd Melville said: “It will be hard for some people to leave their homes but they absolutely need to do so if asked.”

A second person in Scotland died as a result of the storm on Friday, with a 56-year-old man killed after a tree fell onto the van he was driving.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) confirmed they have attended almost 70 weather related incidents across Scotland including rescues from homes and floodwaters as Storm Babet continues to cause an unprecedented level of flooding across parts of north-east Scotland.

The SFRS said they had received around 750 emergency calls across Scotland and attended 300 incidents since the storm made landfall on Thursday.

They have urged members of the public to stay away from flood waters and to follow evacuation advice.

David Lockhart, assistant chief officer at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are facing unprecedented flooding in many areas, and we must stress to the public that flood waters should always be avoided. Keep children and pets away from the water and do not travel in or around the affected areas wherever possible.

“Our firefighters continue to assist with several rescues from homes, and we would strongly urge everyone to listen to the evacuation warnings and advice from your local authority or the emergency services.”

“This is a carefully planned and co-ordinated operation to ensure we are best placed to respond to emergencies and protect the welfare of our crews.”

A number of train routes were closed on Thursday and could remain so until Sunday, with operators saying there is no prospect of them re-opening until it is deemed safe to do so.

Passengers travelling on a Transpennine service from Manchester to Glasgow Central were left stranded in the dark at Lockerbie with no food and water after a tree collapsed power lines.

Passenger Simon Ridley Thomas, a business development manager, told The Herald: "It had just gone through Lockerbie at around 20mph when they said we were going back to the station because there was a tree on the line and here we still are at 6.30pm with no food, no water, no lights, no information – hundreds of us.

"They (Transpennine) said there were five buses coming, then the ScotRail staff said there were not five buses coming – there are no buses coming because they can’t get any.

"There are lots of people here with problems, there’s one guy who is going to Bellshill and needs insulin before 8pm. They’re talking about calling an ambulance for him.

“There’s a young girl who is 15 with a granny who’s got Alzheimer's and was losing the plot. There’s no water, no food: nothing. It’s unbelievable."

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director said the impact of Storm Babet has been “extremely challenging”.

He added: “We want to thank customers for their continuing understanding as we make all possible efforts to inspect routes for damage, before reopening them when it is judged safe to do so. We know the impact the withdrawal of some train services has on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.

"For routes in the south and west of Scotland, customers are encouraged check their journey before setting off, and keep an eye on our website, mobile app, or social media channels for live updates.”

Read More: More severe flooding expected as Met Office issues fresh red weather warning

Pascal Lardet, Sepa flood duty manager, said:  "These are very difficult days for communities in Scotland who are experiencing flooding, in some cases for the second time in a month.

“There is more rain to come, and Sepa staff are working around the clock to provide vital information to partners and the public.

“We started issuing regional flood alerts on Tuesday to provide early awareness and help people prepare, and these are being updated as required.

“We continue to monitor river levels and issue localised flood warnings as required.

“However, it is important to stress that not all areas that could be affected have flood warning schemes, so please do take a flood alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.”

A third person died in England after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire.

West Mercia Police said: “Members of the public reported that the man had gone under the water shortly before 10.40am this morning.

“Officers from West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue quickly attended but sadly he was found deceased at around 12.35pm.

“Whilst formal identification hasn’t yet taken place the family of a local man in his 60s have been informed and are being supported by officers.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “When ambulance crews arrived on scene they quickly began working with fire and police colleagues to try and find the man, who was reported to have gone under the water by a member of the public.

“Following a thorough search and rescue operation, the man was rescued from the water. However, sadly it quickly became apparent that nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”

At Bradford Airport passengers had to be evacuated from a plane after it came off the runway at Leeds as it attempted to land in windy conditions.

There were no reports of any injuries, operator Tui said.

The SPFL cancelled six football fixtures for Saturday afternoon following the extension of the red weather warning, including the Premiership clashes between Aberdeen and Dundee, and St Johnstone vs Motherwell

Calum Beattie, SPFL chief operating officer, said: “We have been in close contact with Police Scotland and our clubs and it’s clear that we continue to face very severe weather, particularly in the North East, in the coming days.

“We never postpone any matches lightly, but our discussions with the emergency services left us in no doubt that this was the correct decision.”