Heavy rain could ruin Hogmanay

Britain is set to be battered by rain and gales until New Year with half a month’s rainfall expected in some areas tomorrow.

And, as the country braces itself once again, Prime Minister David Cameron has urged councils to draw up “robust plans” to deal with the expected deluge.

The Met Office yesterday issued a yellow alert ahead of heavy rain and wind on Monday and Tuesday.

It warned the South West of England, Wales and Scotland will be the worst affected.

Organisers of the Hogmanay street party in Edinburgh cancelled twice in the past due to extreme weather have admitted its fate is the “hands of the weather gods” while organisers of other big events in Inverness, Stirling and Stonehaven are also concerned.

Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said the unsettled weather looks set to continue.

“On New Year’s Eve another band of rain will push in from the west. It will be a dry start to Wednesday but the unsettled weather will be around for quite some time into the New Year,” he warned.

“With the ground already saturated, the public should be aware of the risk of further local flooding.”

Thousands of homes across the UK were left without power after heavy rain and strong winds battered much of the country on Friday.

As many as 4,000 properties in England including 1,600 in Cumbria and 200 in Lancashire and 350 homes in Scotland were still cut off yesterday morning.

A spokesman for Scottish Power said it had drafted in extra contractors while Electricity North West said it was working to restore power.

Meanwhile, many transport services remained in chaos today.

In Scotland the rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow was reduced to half-hourly after a mud slip caused a fault to a signal power box in the Falkirk area.

Ferries on some Clyde and Hebrides routes were also disrupted by high winds.

In the Highlands floodwater caused the closure of a section of the road from Dingwall to Strathpeffer.

However, the Scottish Government insisted the problems linked to the weather were easing. Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “The picture is improving across Scotland.

“The risk of flooding is subsiding and, although some households are still without power, energy companies are working hard to get them back on supply. The Scottish Government’s resilience committee will continue to monitor the situation.”

Craig Woolhouse, of the Environment Agency in England, added: “Our thoughts are with those affected by flooding over Christmas. Our teams remain out on the ground working around the clock to protect communities.

“We urge people to stay safe avoid driving or walking through flood water and visit the Environment Agency website for advice to sign up for flood warnings.”