Downpours cause travel chaos as flooding hits roads and rail lines

Weather downpour: Street flooding in Edinburgh's west end.

Commuters are experiencing severe delays and service cancellations after heavy rain caused flooding on major roads in Edinburgh and Glasgow and brought some train lines to a standstill.

The whole of the capital's bypass was affected by wet weather, with the worst flooding between Hermiston Gait and Baberton. Motorists were advised to plan for delays of up to 45 minutes on the route, with rush hour traffic expected to worsen conditions.

On the M8, flash flooding near the Showcase Leisure Park in Coatbridge has caused a traffic slowdown in eastbound and westbound directions. There are also reports of flooding on Sarason Street and Switchback Road.

Glasgow's Queen Street Station was closed for several hours but has since reopened. However, some services are still experiencing delays after a landslip at Milngavie and a tree on the line at Bearsden.

Naomi Cornwall, a spokeswoman for Traffic Scotland, said: “What is unusual is the amount of flooding at this time of year. The city bypass is particularly bad for flooding but this has been such a down pour in such a short space of time. Baberton is especially bad.”

Drivers have been advised to avoid the route wherever possible.

ScotRail apologised to users on its Twitter feed and promised it was "working with Network Rail to identify best options and will update asap".

George Square's Jubilee concert in Glasgow was abandoned due to the weather.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning across much of central Scotland, including Fife, the Lothians and Borders, telling the public to be aware of heavy downpours and resulting surface flooding.

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