Transport Minister Chairs Resilience Meeting

A further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room has been chaired by Transport Minister Keith Brown as heavy and prolonged rain continues in the North West of Scotland.

The Met Office Amber warning for rain in Highland and Western regions has been extended until tomorrow at noon and the Scottish Government and its partners are monitoring the situation closely as well as responding to on-going incidents.

The rainfall in the last few days has been particularly heavy north of the Great Glen, where there have been accumulations of around 125 mm to 150 mm in the last 36 hours.

Elsewhere across Scotland, the rain is generally be lighter and patchier however, strong winds will persist across southern and central through much of today.

While the wider transport system is coping well so far, the A82 has been closed between Ballachulish roundabout and Fort William due to safety concerns after a landslip but the road will re-open under traffic management before four o'clock this afternoon.

The Transport Minister, Keith Brown who will be visiting the area this afternoon said:

“We have experienced some challenging conditions in the North West Highlands over the last two days and the Scottish Government and our partners have been working hard to mitigate the impacts of the heavy rain and the strong winds.

“The A82 has bourne the brunt of the heavy rain. This resulted in a landslide and large amounts of debris falling onto the road. However, our operating company BEAR Scotland and the Forestry Commission have told me that they will have the road open under traffic management very soon.

“I know that people in the area have been inconvenienced but I hope that they understand that safety has to be our top priority in dealing in this type of scenario. All of the bridges in the area have had to be inspected for damage and now that this has been done of our efforts are going into making the hillside safe to allow the route to be used.

“With the Amber warning extending into tomorrow lunchtime we have to prepared for further heavy rain and, with as much as an extra 80mm expected, our Multi-Agency Response Team will remain active until conditions improve.”

Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse, who also attended the SGoRR meeting said:

“We continue to monitor the weather situation across the country closely and all our key stakeholders remain ready to deal with any issues as the arise, and to respond quickly to any sudden change in conditions.

“Keeping up-to-date with the latest information is crucial to communities vulnerable to flooding. I’d encourage everyone to regularly check with the SEPA Floodline website for updates and warnings. If you sign up – you can also receive Floodline warnings directly to your mobile phone.”