Scotland latest to be hit by flooding

Parts of Scotland have become the latest to be hit by floods, leaving large areas of land underwater.

Torrential rain fell on Sunday night in Dumfries and Galloway, following more than a week of wet weather. Police said they were busy yesterday (Monday 30 December) dealing with flooded roads, houses and fields and that a large area had been left under water.

The most severely affected areas are in the north of the region near Kirkconnel, where 30 houses had to be evacuated, the Lockerbie area, and in Dumfries town centre itself.

Heather Wildman of Overcairn Farm near New Cumnock in Ayrshire, woke up yesterday to 200 acres of her most productive land under water.

“We’ve lived here 12 years and I’ve never seen it like this,” said Mrs Wildman. “It’s been relentless. There was a big storm Boxing Day night, then Sunday night it came in really bad with a lot of rain.”

She said the farm’s 300 suckler cows and 2,700 sheep were safe on higher ground, although they were experiencing fresh water shortages in their cow sheds due to pipes blocked with flood debris.

Mrs Wildman’s neighbouring farmer had to cut several trees down to help stranded sheep escape the flood waters. Dumfries and Galloway Police said they had so far had no reports of loss of livestock and most farmers had managed to move their animals to high ground.

Further down the River Nith, near Thornhill, lives beef and sheep farmer Neil Wilson he said the water came down so hard it ran straight off the fields on to the roads. “Yesterday morning was ridiculous – I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

Mr Wilson, who’s farm is on drier ground further south west near Dundrennan, said the area was used to smaller floods however, but that the contours of the land tended to keep water contained. He said the area was not experiencing floods as bad as those currently in southern England.

One mile away near Closeburn, three adults and four children had to be airlifted to safety after flood waters blocked the road out from two rural properties.

Police are continuing to urge rural communities to check on their neighbours and said many had rallied together to help each other, including farmers with tractors.

More than 30 flood warnings remain in place across Scotland, although the Met Office has downgraded the severity of its warnings from “be prepared” to “be aware”r, in Dumfries, Galloway and Ayrshire.

Eight warnings and 126 flood warnings remain in England and Wales, mainly in the south east and south west, and Northern Ireland also has a yellow “be aware|” warning.

* Picture shows Earlstoun Dam yesterday, near Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway after torrential rain yesterday (30 December)

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