More flood warnings for Grampian

Heavy rain is expected to continue falling until Monday afternoon

Published 2nd Jan 2016

The Met Office has issued amber "be prepared" warnings for the much of north east and central Scotland as more heavy rain is due to fall between now and Monday afternoon.

The areas were among the worst affected by Storm Frank on Wednesday.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) currently has 13 flood warnings in place, mostly for the Tayside area, and three flood alerts.

The amber alert covers Grampian, Tayside, central Scotland and Fife from noon on Saturday until 15:00 on Monday.

A Sepa spokesman said they were anticipating flooding later on Saturday and on Sunday as rivers begin to rise.

Aberdeen City Council has closed Duthie Park car park to vehicles and people have been asked to park vehicles away from areas near rivers.

The A93 between Ballater and Braemar remains closed after part of the road was washed away and the Invercauld Bridge is expected to remain closed to vehicles for a number of weeks.

Due to flood warnings at the River Feugh, the B974 Cairn O'Mount has been closed between the AA box and the Feughside Inn. The B974 Strachan to Fettercairn road has also been closed.

Ch Insp Richard Craig said: "We are continuing to work with other agencies following the impact of Storm Frank across the Grampian region, particularly in Ballater, Crathie and Braemar and are also preparing for further rain and potential flooding.

"Due to the warnings in place, we are asking people to stay away from rivers and already flooded areas so you don't put yourself in danger or place further burden on communities that have been impacted by the flooding." Image copyright PA

He added: "Additionally, we are advising people to park their vehicles away from areas close to rivers and to park on higher ground where possible.

"We also ask that motorists do not ignore road closure signs and avoid driving through flood water as there will be unseen dangers, including lifted man-hole covers.

"The closures are there for a reason and are to protect your safety. By ignoring these closures you put yourself at risk as well as the emergency services."

Aberdeenshire Council's duty emergency response co-ordinator Ritchie Johnson said: "A concerted effort is taking place to respond to the weather situation in Deeside and across Aberdeenshire in light of warnings in place from Sepa and the Met Office and working closely with partners, colleagues and the community.

"There are access issues into Braemar and we are working with Police Scotland and neighbouring authorities to ensure access south remains in place with the aim of protecting the road.

"We are also working on remedial action across the area with sandbags and floodgates being issued to protect roads and properties as well as preparing responses to any rising river levels across Aberdeenshire."