Safety checks on roads and rail after heavy overnight rain

Safety checks have been carried out on rail lines and bridges following heavy rain overnight in parts of Scotland.

Train passengers were warned to expect disruption after Network Rail inspectors discovered flooding on lines in Fife, Aberdeenshire and Angus.

And flood barriers were put in place in the Aberdeenshire towns of Stonehaven and Kemnay.

On Sunday evening 21 flood warnings were still in place across the country.

A Met Office amber warning for heavy and persistent rain in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Moray, Dundee and Perth and Kinross was in place until 06:00.

A less severe yellow warning for rain was in place for eastern Scotland until 12:00.

ScotRail warned of "major disruption" across Scotland, following the adverse weather.

It listed 16 routes on its website that needed to be checked before trains will be allowed to run.

Network Rail Scotland identified flooded tracks between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes, Dyce and Inverurie, Elgin and Keith, and at Inverkeilor, between Montrose and Arbroath.

"Our local teams are assessing what needs to be done in these areas to reopen the railway," the firm tweeted. on Sunday morning.

It also received reports of a landslip between Inverkeithing and Aberdour, and another north of Kirkcaldy.

Earlier this year three people died when a train derailed near Stonehaven after hit rocks and gravel washed on to the tracks in heavy rain.

ScotRail has urged passengers to check ahead before they travel.

Traffic Scotland said that rain and surface water was affecting many routes.

Aberdeen City Council warned of the potential for flooding around Garthdee, Maryculter and at Riverside Drive during the early afternoon.

In Aberdeenshire, a temporary barrier was put in place at Kembhill Park - a street near the River Don in Kemnay.

Council officials said local teams were monitoring water levels, closing roads and offering advice to residents.

Engineers also carried out safety checks on bridges across the Rivers Don, Deveron and North Esk.

"Water levels are expected to remain high throughout the day and a shifting, prolonged pattern of weather is likely to continue to cause disruption to travel," Aberdeenshire Council said in a statement.

Flood barriers were also put up in Stonehaven on Saturday.

The council asked people to take steps to protect their own properties from flooding and to avoid unnecessary travel.

Meanwhile the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll reopened following an overnight closure due fears of the impact of the adverse weather on the road.

The road has already been hit by two major landslides since August, as a result of heavy rain.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had issued 21 flood warnings and 12 flood alerts by 17:30 on Sunday.

The agency warned on Saturday that the people should prepare for "potential flooding of property, infrastructure and significant transport disruption".

Peterculter Golf Course in Aberdeenshire were among those badly affected by flooding.

PGA Professional Ross McConnachie told BBC Scotland: "It's devastating to see as our greenkeepers have worked extremely hard all year and the course has been in terrific condition.

"This is a rare occurrence and it only happens in such extreme weather like we had over the past 24 hours.

"Once the rain stops it's amazing how quickly this will clear away and we will be back golfing again very soon."