WIREDGOV

Public urged to remain vigilant.

People have been urged to stay vigilant by Ministers as milder conditions and melting snow continue to pose a flooding risk in parts of the country.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has a number of flood alerts and warnings in place, while a Met Office warning for ice is in place overnight until 10:00hrs for much of northern and central Scotland.

A further meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room was held yesterday.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice & Home Affairs Angela Constance yesterday said:

“This has been a significant and lengthy weather event, and with flood warnings in place and a yellow alert for ice overnight, it is not over. I would urge people to keep a close eye on flood alerts, weather forecasts and to consider travel updates in their area.

“In particular, put safety first and do not take unnecessary risk by going in or close to flood waters, as there may be hidden hazards below the surface and it may be contaminated.

“I again thank our public and private partners the length and breadth of the country who have worked around the clock to support people and get services back to normal.”

David Cooper, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, yesterday said:

"As rivers respond following rainfall over the weekend, combined with melting snow, there remains a flood risk today. Larger rivers in the North West of Scotland are still rising and are expected to peak this afternoon and overnight. There are currently Regional Flood Alerts and Local Flood Warnings in place. “SEPA continues to monitor the situation closely, working with the Met Office, Scottish Government and partner agencies. Keep up to date on the latest information by checking SEPA's website.”

Background

Yesterday’s meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) was chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance.

SGORR was activated in response to the current weather event on Friday 2 January and the first ministerial-led SGORR meeting took place on Monday 5 January. It has met daily since then.

For more information:

• Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website.
• Keep up to date on the latest information by checking the Live Flooding Information page on SEPA's website.
• Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website.
• Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
• To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on SP Energy Website