Weather warnings issued as Storm Callum passes Scotland

12 October 2018, 07:19 | Updated: 12 October 2018, 07:21

Strong winds and heavy rain are expected in parts of the country Scotland as Storm Callum passes to the north west of the UK.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of wind for the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde - and wind and rain for southern Scotland.

The wind warning, in force from 3am until just before midnight on Friday, says that a spell of windy weather associated with Storm Callum is expected to hit the country.

Forecasters said that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely, as are delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges and some power loss is possible.

The rain warning, which runs from 5am until just before midnight, says: "Storm Callum brings a spell of heavy and persistent rain on Friday, with the potential for flooding."

It warns that spray and flooding may create difficult driving conditions and may lead to some road closures and disruption to transport.

The latest warnings come days after rain and strong winds brought flooding and transport disruption to parts of Scotland on Tuesday.

The A83 remains closed following a landslip at the Rest and be Thankful, when around 2,500 tonnes of material from multiple landslips was caught in specialist debris netting above the carriageway.

Motorists are currently facing a diversion of almost 60 miles, although it is hoped the Old Military Road can be opened as a shorter diversion once it has been deemed safe.

The second of three large boulders on the hillside above the A83 has been made safe after being exposed by multiple landslips and teams are now working to address a third boulder above the carriageway.

Once all three boulders are made safe, a final safety check will take place before preparing the Old Military Road for opening.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland's North West Network Manager, said: "Safety remains our top priority, and although we have prepared the Old Military Road so it is ready to open we can only do so once the go-ahead is given from the geotechnical assessment.

"That said, we remain hopeful that teams will be able to achieve this sometime on Friday ahead of the weekend.

"In the meantime, we remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, and rest assured we're doing everything possible to get the Old Military Road open as soon as we can."