Thundery downpours trigger flash flooding in Ayrshire

Pictures from the scene show the road surface covered in water

Thundery downpours have caused flooding and transport problems across parts of western Scotland.

The A77 was shut southbound at Bellfield and drivers were asked to take an alternative route.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued a flood alert for the region, and alerts remain in place for much of the country.

By Thursday morning, the Met Office had lifted its weather warnings as the heavy rain passed.

Parts of the A77 resembled a river

It warned heavy and thundery showers were likely to develop leading to localised flooding from surface water.

Police Scotland tweeted: "Due to localised storms resulting in heavy rain throughout the West of Scotland, all members of the public are urged to take additional care when driving. #KeepingPeopleSafe"

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was alerted shortly before 16:00 on Wednesday to reports of flooding affecting the Dundonald, Ayr, Stewarton and Prestwick areas.

A spokeswoman said: "Firefighters worked alongside emergency service and local authority partners to remove water affecting residential properties and are no longer in attendance at any of the locations."

Roads in Blanefield were flooded

A waterflooged garden in Blanefield

Flooding was also reported in Blanefield in Stirlingshire.

In Dundonald in South Ayrshire a 10k road race, scheduled to start at 19:30, was cancelled.

ScotRail said flooding on the railway between Barrhead and Kilmarnock had closed the line.

In Argyll and Bute, a landslip closed the A815 for a time, forcing drivers on a lengthy diversion before the road was cleared.

The disruption comes after the weather caused similar problems in the west of the country on Sunday.