Heavy rain and wind warning as schools closed and roads flooded

Travel has been disrupted and a small number of schools have been shut in parts of Scotland amid weather warnings for heavy rain.

The Met Office said parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross and Aberdeenshire could see up 3in (80mm) of rainfall on Thursday - and accumulations of 4in (120mm) on higher ground.

An amber warning expired at 18:00, but a yellow warning for rain and wind remains in place for a large area, which includes the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeen, until midnight on Friday.

Two people had to be helped from a van after it got trapped in flood waters at the B977 near Kintore in Aberdeenshire, while six schools in Perth and Kinross are shut.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued seven flood alerts and 28 flood warnings, many of them for parts of Angus and Perth and Kinross.

Perth and Kinross Council said flood gates on the Perth Flood Scheme had been closed, and flood warnings have been issued for the River Tay through the city.

It said Blairgowrie High School was among the schools closed, and stretches of the A93 and A923 have been affected by flooding.

Aberdeenshire Council said several roads had been affected by the heavy rain, with some closed or passable.

These included the Glassel, Strachan, Dess, Lumsden and Strathdon areas.

Stonehaven promenade was closed due to waves overtopping the barrier.

In Aberdeen, the River Dee was seen to have burst its banks.

Aberdeen City Council said people with parked vehicles in the Riverside Drive area were being asked to move them as soon as possible, with flooding expected between Duthie Park and the junction of Riverside Drive and South College Street.

Police have urged people to take extra care when driving and to be prepared for delays.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said road and rail travel could be affected.

She said: "If you have to travel, please make sure you plan your journey before you set off."

Forecasters said that, in the yellow warning area, rainfall accumulations of about one to two inches or 30-60mm were "likely fairly widely" inland, with up to 5in (120mm) over the highest ground.

The Met Office said there could be flooding in some places because the ground was already wet due to recent rain and thawing snow.

For Scotland's mountain's, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) has issued a rare red avalanche hazard warning for the Southern Cairngorms.

Red is the service's second highest warning after black.

SAIS described weather conditions in the neighbouring Northern Cairngorms as "gruelling" with fierce winds and heavy wet snow.