Hundreds of passengers are stranded in Newcastle after flooding in Scotland wreaks travel mayhem as more than a MONTH’S rain falls in 24 hours – Met Office issues amber alert and warns ‘atrocious’ weather will put lives at risk

• Network Rail Scotland said East Coast Main Line will be closed for rest of the day
• Some areas in Scotland have experienced record amount of rain in past 36 hours
• Queues for rail replacement buses in Newcastle stretched hundreds of metres
• Amber weather warning for heavy rain around Aberdeenshire in place until 9pm

Hundreds of people have been left stranded at Newcastle Station after flooding in Scotland wreaked travel chaos, with passengers told they might have to wait five hours for replacement buses. 

A month’s worth of rainfall has hit parts of the east coast of Scotland over the past two days, causing railway lines to flood and services to be severely delayed or in many cases cancelled.

Network Rail Scotland said in an update this evening that the East Coast Main Line will be closed for the rest of the day after flooding washed away ballast under the railway at Grantshouse in the Scottish Borders.

In a tweet, Network Rail said some areas have experienced a record amount of rainfall in the past 36 hours, with more than 3.5 inches hitting Laurencekirk in Kincardineshire.

Most rail services to and from Aberdeen were suspended this morning after lines were flooded while hundreds of homes have also lost power in communities around the city, according to Scottish and Southern Energy Networks’ online tracker.

Dundee and Edinburgh have also seen major road closures due to flooding while Newcastle, Sunderland, Gatehead, and Doncaster are among the places facing travel disruptions to rail networks, metro lines, roads and bus services.

Queues for rail replacement buses in Newcastle stretched hundreds of metres down the street outside the city centre station this afternoon and spiralled around the concourse inside.

A month’s worth of rainfall has hit parts of the east coast of Scotland over the past two days. Pictured: flooding near Ladybank in Fife

Hundreds of people have been left stranded at Newcastle Station after flooding in Scotland wreaked travel chaos

Queues for rail replacement buses in Newcastle stretched hundreds of metres down the street outside the city centre station this afternoon and spiralled around the concourse inside

Network Rail Scotland shared images of the flooding on the tracks at Inverkeithing. A nearby river burst its banks and the line has been forced to close due to flooding

 A van was abandoned and submerged in rain water today after torrential rain fell in Bottlesford, Devon last night and into this morning 

A van sinks in East Sussex after the Cuckmere River burst its banks after heavy rain

In a tweet, Network Rail said some areas have experienced a record amount of rainfall in the past 36 hours, with more than 3.5 inches hitting Laurencekirk in Kincardineshire

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the north-east of Scotland and a yellow warning for several other regions 

While Saturday will be clear, Sunday sees another front of rain and heavy wind moving in from the West bringing the chance of thunder and lightning 

One woman heading for Edinburgh said: ‘This just can’t be happening. I’ve got a health condition and I can’t wait outside like this.’

James Brownhill, from London, said: ‘It’s just chaos. But there’s nothing you can do. If it’s flooded, it’s flooded.

‘I think I’m just going to have to stay in Newcastle tonight.’

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon warned that areas of Scotland could see homes and businesses flooding even as the rain eases later this evening while gusts could blow in excess of 50 knots.

He said: ‘Rain should ease later in the day but because of the delayed reaction of rivers to rain, some flooding events could still happen.

‘There will be persistent and widespread rain for most of Scotland today as well,’ he said.

Mr Dixon said the rain will slowly peeter out this evening and overnight and things will largely clear up for much of the UK with some sporadic showers.

He also said temperatures are expected to drop, going as low as -4C in Northern Ireland, adding: ‘Fairly widespread frost is possible for much of the UK.’

While Saturday will be clear, Sunday sees another front of rain and heavy wind moving in from the West bringing the chance of thunder and lightning, Mr Dixon said.

‘That sets up what is really the theme of the next week which is continued wet and windy weather for much of the UK,’ he added.

Elsewhere, Yorkshire Water said reservoir levels are ‘moving in the right direction’ in the region which is still officially classed as being in a drought.

But Environment Agency data shows that Yorkshire had the same amount of rainfall in September and October than it did over the whole summer with reservoir levels going up 19% in the last six weeks, although still below the expected level for November.

The Met Office’s amber ‘heavy rain alert’, which covers  Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perth and Kinross, was due to be in place until 3pm but has been extended until 9pm due to the rain being ‘a little slower to ease’ than was expected.

A yellow warning is in place for a large part of eastern Scotland until midnight tonight, with forecasts showing the country could be hit with as much rain as an average November in the space of a day.

A road was waterlogged in Essex with almost 4ft of rain this morning following downpours overnight 

Huge waves crashed into the lighthouse in Roker, Sunderland as storms swept the country

Streets in Perth were awash with flooding as the area was hit by ferocious weather this morning 

Fields in Somerset have been completely flooded as the River Parrett overflowed around the Hamlet of Muchelney, which was cut off for 10 weeks due to flooding in 2014 

Streets were flooded in York this morning after the River Ouse broke its banks following the heavy rain. A yellow weather warning is in place in the region

 Ducks were swimming along roads in York today after parts of the city were submerged by rain following heavy showers 

Floodwater could cause ‘danger to life’ in Scotland

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for rain in Scotland

The Met Office has warned of flooding which could cause a potential ‘danger to life’ in eastern Scotland.

Forecasters issued an amber warning for rain for the eastern part of the country, amid dire warnings six inches of rain could fall in just 24 hours.

Meteorologists warn that ‘heavy and persistent rain’ is likely to cause flooding in Angus and Aberdeenshire until midnight tonight.

The Met Office says homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, while fast flowing and deep floodwater is also expected.

On its website, the service says: ‘Heavy rain within the warning area, beginning on Thursday, and lasting well into Friday, is likely to produce over 100 mm of rain in all, with parts of the Grampians and Cairngorm perhaps seeing upwards of 150 mm. 

‘Rain should ease later Friday, although rivers may continue to run high beyond this.’

Roads across the country were flooded yesterday and this morning following heavy rain, including in York where some streets were completely submerged after the River Ouse burst its banks.

Authorities said the rain will make driving difficult, with potential for reduced visibility and surface water, and conditions likely to affect travel on both the trunk road and rail network. 

On Friday morning a lane of the M9 westbound was closed at J2 due to flooding, while in Fife the A92 was closed between the Parbroath Crossroads and Melville Lodges due to flooding and in Dunfermline, Halbeath Road was shut with diversions in place. 

Regional flood warnings are in place from the eastern Borders to Aberdeenshire, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency warning Aberdeenshire and Angus could be particularly affected. 

There were 20 flood warnings and nine flood alerts in place on Friday morning. 

People living in regions with flood warnings have been urged to plan any journeys and keep themselves safe. Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said: ‘The Met Office is warning us to expect a period of difficult weather in parts of eastern Scotland throughout Friday, with heavy rain likely to impact travel in the amber warning area in the north east. 

‘The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the transport network, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off – particularly if they’re looking to use the trunk roads or travel by rail.’  

Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said: ‘The warning areas are where we are most concerned about the risk of flooding, but it doesn’t mean that the areas outside them are not going to see some pretty atrocious conditions.’ 

Forecasters said that some areas of higher ground in the amber warning area could see a month’s worth of rain within a couple of days, with more than 100mm of rain, and even 150mm, possible in parts of the Grampians and Cairngorms. 

Average rainfall for November in Aberdeenshire is 113mm, while for Angus it is 122.8mm, meaning that if these areas do see 150mm of rain, more than a month’s worth of rain will fall in the space of just a couple of days. 

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