Flash floods and landslide hit Shetland after 'biblical' rain
Businesses in Lerwick were flooded and a road in the west of the mainland was blocked, as Storm Austen heads for Scotland.
The Esplanade in Lerwick. File photo. · Photograph: Robbie (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Shetland has been hit by flash flooding and a landslide after torrential rain.
The road between Garderhouse and Reawick on the west of the mainland was closed after a landslide blocked it. Shetland Islands Council diverted traffic through Houllmalees and Gruting and said the road was expected to reopen within hours. Police urged drivers to avoid the area.
In Lerwick, several cafes, restaurants and shops were flooded, and the council said high tides added to flooding around the Esplanade and Harrison Square.
A worker at Lerwick Brewery described the rain as biblical, while a chef at The Dowry restaurant said their kitchen flooded within seconds, and they lost stock.
Yellow rain warnings come into force for parts of Scotland on Friday morning as Storm Austen moves in, the first of two named storms expected to cross the country in the coming days.