Two storm deaths in Scotland as new red warning issued

Brechin residents were still being rescued from their homes on Friday morning

A second person has died as Storm Babet brought high winds, torrential rain and severe flooding to parts of Scotland.

The Met Office has now issued a new red "danger to life" weather warning for some eastern areas.

Police have confirmed that a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday, killing the 56-year-old driver.

The body of a 57-year-old woman who was swept into a swollen river was also recovered on Thursday evening.

And a search is ongoing in Aberdeenshire after reports that a driver was trapped by floodwater overnight.

• Live updates as Storm Babet hits Scotland

• The Brechin residents who have 'lost everything'

The storm has brought severe flooding to some areas of north east Scotland, with rescue operations continuing in and around the Angus town of Brechin.

The new Met Office red warning runs from midnight throughout the whole of Saturday for parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire.

Forecasters said a further 70-100mm of rain was expected in areas already affected by severe flooding. The area is similar to that covered by the previous red alert which expired at midday on Friday.

In Brechin, rescue teams went door to door by torchlight during the night to help people to safety.

Angus Council said they were responding to more than 100 calls from people who had stayed in their homes despite warnings to evacuate.

About 60 households were rescued in Brechin in the early hours, while others were waiting to be rescued on Friday afternoon in other areas of Angus such as Marykirk and Edzell.

Flood defences in the town were overwhelmed at about 04:00, with river levels 4.4m (14ft) higher than normal and continuing to increase.

The council had earlier urged residents of about 400 homes in and around the town to evacuate as the River South Esk was expected to burst its banks.

More than 40 people arrived at a rest centre in soaked clothes during the night. Donations of dry clothing, food and toiletries have been donated by locals following an appeal by the council.

The flood defences in Brechin were overwhelmed in the early hours of the morning

Police Scotland said the latest death happened at about 17:05 on Thursday when a falling tree struck a van on the B9127 at Whigstreet, near Forfar.

"Emergency services attended, however the 56-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene," the force said. Next of kin have been informed and the road remains closed.

In Aberdeenshire, search operation involving a helicopter is taking place after reports that a man was trapped in a vehicle by floodwater near Marykirk at 03:00. People are being urged to avoid the area.

• The Brechin residents who have 'lost everything'

Angus Council said that as well as about 335 properties in Brechin, an additional 87 households in the nearby villages of Tannadice and Finavon had been told to evacuate "for their own safety" ahead of the red warning.

People leaving their homes were urged to switch off the mains electricity and water supplies before they did so.

Rest centres were opened at Montrose Sports Centre and Brechin and Forfar community campuses on Thursday afternoon, with people being asked to bring their own sleeping bags and any supplies and medications they will need. Pets are welcome.

• Storm Babet: How do storms get named?

By mid-afternoon on Friday the facility in Brechin was looking after more than 50 people, 17 were at the Montrose rest centre and a further nine were at the centre in Forfar.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said severe flood warnings were in place in Brechin, Marykirk, Logie Mill and Craigo, Finavon and Tannadice and Kinnaird/Bridge of Dun. By midday on Friday 16 flood warnings were in force across Scotland.

Sepa said 100mm (4ins) of rain had fallen widely across Tayside, Angus and Berwickshire over a 24-hour period, with some areas seeing 150mm (6ins).

Huge waves crashed into the harbour wall at Stonehaven

Many roads were closed, including the A90 between Stonehaven and Dundee. Waves of up to 20ft were seen crashing against the harbour wall at Stonehaven.

SSEN, which provides electricity to homes in the north of Scotland, said 28,000 customers had lost power during the storm.

More than 24,000 were reconnected by lunchtime on Friday, but 4,000 remained without supply.

ScotRail said the storm had caused severe disruption with no trains or replacement bus services running on five of its routes until early on Saturday.

These were Aberdeen and Elgin, Edinburgh and Aberdeen via Fife, Dunblane and Perth, Perth and Aviemore and all Fife Circle services.

Several SPFL football matches have been cancelled on Saturday, including the Aberdeen v Dundee and St Johnstone v Motherwell fixtures in the Premiership.

Brechin is used to flooding but no one here can remember anything like this.

The town's defences were breached in the early hours, with floodwater roaring into residential areas, swamping scores of homes and leaving many people trapped, some of whom had ignored advice from Angus Council to evacuate.

Throughout the morning, firefighters and coastguard teams went door-to-door, checking homes and using boats to bring families to safety.

On River Street, where the South Esk overwhelmed flood defences, the level has receded somewhat but the road is still awash, with the top half of a bus stop sign poking out above the surface.

On the river itself, brown roaring water is still churning past, carrying debris including, at one point, an enormous tree, its leaves just turning brown and yellow at the start of autumn.

Storm Babet has been disruptive elsewhere too - and deadly.

A 56-year-old man was killed when a falling tree hit his van near Forfar. A 57-year-old woman was swept to her death in the Water of Lee in Glen Esk. And a helicopter has been used to search for a man reported to be trapped in his vehicle in Marykirk.

Forecasters say the threat is not yet over. The Met Office has issued a second red warning of heavy rainfall - meaning there is a continuing risk to life - for Angus and Aberdeenshire tomorrow.

This was the scene at Marykirk in Aberdeenshire on Friday morning

What is a red weather warning?

Red is the most severe of the Met Office's three coloured weather warnings.

It means that dangerous weather is expected and, if you have not already done so, you should take action now to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the severe weather.

It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.

You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.

You can read more about the weather warning system here.

Schools in Angus remained closed on Friday and Highland Council announced it was putting defence mechanisms in place in Kingussie, including around the high school.

Elsewhere in the UK, amber weather warnings for "persistent heavy rain" have come into force in parts of northern England and the Midlands, from noon on Friday to 06:00 on Saturday.

In England, the Environment Agency had by Friday morning issued more than 200 flood warnings.

Meanwhile a Met Office yellow warning for rain in Northern Ireland is also in place from until 09:00 on Saturday.

Storm Babet hit Ireland on Wednesday after sweeping in from the Atlantic, bringing with it heavy rainfall and causing extensive flooding in parts of the country.

More than 100 properties were flooded in the town of Midleton in the south of the country, with the Irish Defence Forces deployed to help out.

Cork County Council said more than a month's worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours, leading to unprecedented flooding, saturated land and high river levels across the county.