Second flood hits Whitesands area in Dumfries

The Whitesands has been affected twice this week by flooding after heavy rainfall

Drivers have been advised to avoid the Whitesands in Dumfries after it was hit by flooding from the River Nith for the second time in a week.

Water has been flowing into the car park but it has not breached the main river wall.

It comes after heavy and persistent rain swept across parts of Dumfries and Galloway.

Earlier in the day 500 homes in Wigtownshire were without power after lightning strikes.

Three separate incidents affected properties in the Lochans and Leswalt areas.

The Bankend Road was closed after water spilled across the route

Most homes had been reconnected by mid-morning but problems in some outlying areas took longer to address.

Scottish Power also reported problems with mobile telephone networks in the area.

In Dumfries, police have been moving cars and shopkeepers put down sandbags and flood barriers in front of their doors.

Elsewhere, police said surface water flooding was badly affecting a number of streets in Galashiels town centre.

On the railways a landslip in the Thornhill area closed the line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries.

Dumfries and Galloway had been on stand-by after an amber warning of rain and strong winds was issued for the area.

The A714 north of Newton Stewart was closed for a time and the Bankend Road in Dumfries also shut.

Hazardous conditions have also been reported on stretches of the A75 and A77.

Serious flooding was also being seen in Haugh of Urr on Port Road and Corsehill.