Heavy rain in Scotland triggers flood warning

Flood warnings have been issued for many parts of Scotland as heavy rain is expected to fall for much of the day.

Forecasters said 30mm of rain could be expected widely, with as much as 70mm falling in some areas.

The rain will be "persistent and heavy" throughout the afternoon before dying out during the evening.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued flood alert warnings for Tayside, Dundee, Fife, Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire.

A Sepa warning issued for the Tayside region, which is expected to be one of the worst areas to be hit, said river levels in the region were expected to rise over the next 48 hours.

"The Earn and Almond catchments in the south of the region are particularly at risk of potentially high river levels," the warning said.

And urban areas across east and central Scotland would be at risk from surface water flooding, particularly during intense periods of rainfall, Sepa said.

Drivers have also been warned to take care, with the rain causing hazardous conditions on many roads.

Surface water is causing problems on the M74, A74(M) and M8, Traffic Scotland said.