Cars stranded as flooding hits major roads in Edinburgh
A yellow warning for heavy rain is in place until midnight tonight
Last updated 18th Nov 2022
Cars stranded, rivers levels rising and more rain is forecast.
Major roads in the Capital have been cut off by rising floodwaters, as heavy rain batters Scotland.
A yellow warning which was in place for a large part of eastern Scotland until 6pm on Friday has been extended until midnight and a flood alert has also been issued for Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Central Scotland.
River levels are rising in the Colonies area of Stockbridgs, with Angus Robertson calling on the City Council to close the flood defences in Leith.
Flood warnings in place across Scotland
As of Friday morning, the Environment Agency has 11 flood warnings and 81 flood alerts in place and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 26 warnings and nine alerts.
Minister for Transport 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."
ScotRail has imposed some speed restrictions on lines in the East of Scotland until midday.
Ms Gilruth added: "Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive to the conditions. The new Traffic Scotland website - traffic.gov.scot - lets people access the latest information on the trunk roads, and you can also follow their twitter page @TrafficScotland which is regularly updated.
"If you are planning to travel by rail, please check with your operator ahead of your journey to see if your service is affected."
Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, head of road policing, said: "As an amber warning for heavy rain has been issued, we are urging motorists to plan ahead and avoid unnecessary travel.
"The Met Office, Sepa and Traffic Scotland websites have valuable information about weather disruptions and we would advise people to check these sites before setting off on your journey.