Flooding on Edgar Road and A96 north of Elgin this morning (c) Debz Denise Thain Webz
Storms have seen the A96 north of Elgin badly affected by flood water this morning and one of Moray’s most anticipated summer events has had to be called off because of the extreme conditions being experienced.
Diversions are currently in place on the A96 north of Elgin where flooding has brought a halt to traffic.
Debris on roads has also caused problems on the A941 between Elgin and Lossiemouth – this has now been cleared.
Police say that several roads around Lossiemouth and Hopeman have been affected and that Moray Council workmen have been despatched with sandbags.
Rail services between Aberdeen and Inverness have also saw delays with trains halted between Elgin and Keith and replaced with a bus service.
Moray Council issued a statement this morning at 8am confirming that a number of roads were closed including the A96 in places, adding: “All roads are affected by surface water which is deep in many places and motorists are being urged to travel only if necessary and to allow additional times for their journeys.
“Heavy rainfall has affected all parts of Moray and a number of families in Forres and Hopeman have evacuated their homes.
“Moray Council’s emergency response team has been working through the night closing flood-affected roads and issuing sandbags to properties most at risk. Flood guards are also being distributed to homes in areas where water levels are continuing to rise.
“The council is continuing to liaise closely with SEPA, Police Scotland and the other emergency service as the situation develops. River levels are giving cause for concern and are being closely monitored.
“A number of roads in Elgin are closed, including the A96 at Pinefield, New Elgin Road, Maisondieu Road and Victoria Crescent and diversions are in place.”
Keith Show Cancelled
Meanwhile organisers at the two-day Keith Country Show have cancelled the second day of the event.
In a message released on their Facebook page this morning a spokesman said: “Unfortunately due to the extreme weather conditions the show has had to be cancelled.
“The committee will try to contact as many exhibitors as possible to spread the bad news. I would ask that you share this in order to get the word round quickly so as to avoid anybody making a wasted trip.”
A wet Sunday did nothing to spoil the fun at the show yesterday, with more than 200 trade stalls and hundreds of visitors defying the elements.
Many were admiring a massive display of vintage tractors while others enjoyed the mass pipes and drums, with secretary Tina Craib saying: “We don’t have the exact number of people who visited but it was easily on a par with last year.
“There were some brief showers but luckily we seem to have missed most of the rain.”
That luck, however, ran out in the early hours of this morning when organisers had to call off the second day with the showground drenched from overnight rain storms.