Amber warning issued for heavy rain in south east Scotland

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heavy rain which could cause flooding and transport disruption in south east Scotland.

The alert covers Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders from midnight until 15:00 on Thursday.

Police urged motorists to use extra caution in what could be "hazardous" conditions on the roads.

Parts of Wales were affected by flooding on Wednesday, with disruption on the roads and railways.

A number of people were evacuated from their homes because of the risk of flooding, and a van driver was rescued after getting stuck in his vehicle.

Parts of Wales were affected by flooding on Wednesday

There was also disrupted after a fallen tree in Cumbria halted train services on the west coast line between Scotland and England for much of Wednesday.

And Rod Stewart's outdoor concert scheduled for Wednesday evening in Aberdeen had to be cancelled because of high winds.

The Met Office warned that flooding could cause damage to buildings and pose a danger to life in parts of south east Scotland on Thursday.

The amber alert also says there could be power cuts, delays or cancellations to public transport, and difficult driving conditions on the roads.

Ch Insp Mark Patterson, of Police Scotland, said motorists should travel with care in the area.

"Driving conditions may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised when travelling as heavy rain is likely to cause some travel disruption and flooding," he said.

Transport Scotland's resilience room will operate throughout Thursday, and a multi-agency response team will monitor conditions from the National Traffic Control Centre in South Queensferry.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said travellers should plan their journey and follow Police Scotland's travel advice.

"Motorists should check with Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available," he said.

"The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so travellers should check with their operators before they set out."

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson urged travellers to plan ahead

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has also issued flood alerts for Edinburgh and Lothians and the Scottish Borders.

Sepa's flood duty manager, Marc Becker, said: "The rainfall is expected to be heaviest over high ground in East Lothian and eastern areas of the Scottish Borders.

"This may result in travel disruption and flooding of properties and infrastructure in these areas."

A Met Office yellow alert also stretches further south on Thursday, with potential for flooding and disruption in north east England.

Large parts of England were also covered by a yellow weather warning on Wednesday.