30/12/2015 Reporting Scotland

Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

Storm Frank is causing major disruption across Scotland,

with torrential rain and high winds causing flooding and power cuts.

Hundreds of people have had to leave their homes,

roads have been closed, and rail services hit.

And severe flood warnings have been issued

for two rivers in the Borders and Dumfriesshire.

We'll have reports from around the country.

First, here's our correspondent Eleanor Bradford,

with the latest on the situation in the south west.

This area has never seen anything like it. This couple were trying to

reach their one-year-old child at a grandparents's has, when they found

themselves cut off. The roads are closed, so we are a bit stranded

appear. Four bridges have been destroyed. The river broke its banks

earlier on this morning, and one vehicle unfortunately got stuck in

the middle, and the driver and his companion were stuck in the vehicle

and had to be rescued. Just down the road, and little the owner of this

caravan park could do but watch and wait. See the sign at the bottom,

this is as high as it got. Further and land, the town of Newton Stewart

was cut off, the power station flooded, there was no electricity or

phones. By lunchtime, in Dumfries, a severe flood warning had been

issued, meaning a danger to life from the rising waters of the river.

This has been regionwide, so we have relied on communities to look after

themselves until we can get there. But if you did not need to travel

and did not live near the water, the scenery was spectacular. The worst

of the rain has passed, but experts warn that in central and north

eastern Scotland water levels may not be until tomorrow.

12 people have been rescued from a bus which was overwhelmed

by floodwater on a road at Dailly in south Ayrshire.

Our reporter Aileen Clarke is there for us tonight.

Well, this was an incredibly frightening experience here in

Ayrshire today. Anybody who were seen these pictures will see just

how bad the roads were all around Ayrshire today, roads flooded all

over the place from here, and a bus was carrying out its studious,

picking passengers up, trying to keep to the timetable when it hit a

massive piece of flood water. -- carrying out its duties. The bus was

stuck in the floodwater, the floodwater was quite deep, and a

major operation swung into action to get the passengers and the driver

off the bus. Now, the fire brigade first tried with a boat, but that

didn't prove to be successful, and instead a helicopter was brought in

by the Royal Navy to one by one whinge the passengers off the bus.

That operation has only concluded within the past hour or so. All the

passengers have come off, all are well, and I spoke to one a short

time ago about her ordeal. I was going shopping, the bus, when we

approached Dailly, the road was flooded, the driver thought it was

OK to get through, but we got stuck, the water came up and up. It got to

the windows, big waves. You could see the current, it was very scary.

We moved to the back of the bus where the seeds were higher, I sat

on a ledge at the back. You either had to stand, some people were

standing on, like, the bars. But even at the back, I was on the

shelf, my feet and legs were in the water. Tell us about the rescue. The

rescue, the people were fantastic, they came along with the bold first

of all, smashed a window to try they came along with the bold first

help us. -- with the boat. That led more water in, but we managed to

stop it coming. I was in phone contact, so they kept us informed. A

helicopter came, some people were getting panicky, there were children

on the bus as well. But we got there.

Tonight, 6,000 homes across Scotland

One of the worst affected towns is Ballater in Aberdeenshire.

There, the River Dee has burst its banks.

Our reporter John McManus is there for us tonight.

This is what happens when river water has nowhere else to go.

Ballater, on the banks of the river Dee, but now with the river's water

is a bit too close for comfort. When the water is this high, it is time

to leave. This is the scene in the centre of ballot this evening, the

water has started to recede, but it is still raining, and hundreds of

people are camped in the community hall that cannot go home this

evening. Many are afraid of what they will find when they go home.

Those forced from their homes have taken shelter in a community hall.

But even here, there is no power. Many said they had to leave their

homes in a hurry. I went to the back door, and the water was lapping into

the house. It was as quick as that, ten minutes, the water was level

with that. Scottish Fire and Rescue have been out in force in several

spots along the A93. I need my car saved! Further down the river, water

was threatening property. But some things, like this mobile

home, could not escape the waters of the Dee. The Dee is still raging,

but the clean-up will get into full swing tomorrow. There will be a lot

to do. John McManus, Reporting Scotland, Ballater.

Well, a severe flood warning has been issued

for the River Tweed in Peebles in the Borders.

Our reporter Lisa Summers has been in the town all day

By late residents would have to get out.

Emergency services went in to help evacuate. As the streets became

rivers, locals were brought out by boat. Only a few hours earlier,

residents had been hopeful their flood defences would hold. But the

water is an unpredictable force, how quickly things changed. The flood

defences up by the river have gone. They have just gone. I do not know

where they have gone, but they have definitely gone, and the water has

come up. I do not know if it has got into the house or not. This was the

picture at one o'clock when the river burst its banks. It is

incredible how quickly the water has risen and flooded this park after

the river burst its banks. Look at the car have submerged, the street

signs too. The water is quite high up on those street signs. By the

middle of the afternoon, the river was a lake. Some say the waters are

at their highest level since 1994. I am Peebles born and bred, and I have

never seen it this high before. This is something. It is terrible. With

the water level is not expected to peak until this evening, the main

route south of the town has been closed. Residents whose homes are

affected must wait until the morning to see how much damage has been

done. Let's find out

what the weather has in store. The worst has passed, but it has

been a wet and wild 24 hours. This was sent in by one of our weather

watches. The heaviest rain has passed and what is left is on the

move. A lot of dry weather tonight before another band of showery rain

pushing into southern Scotland, but nowhere near as heavy as what we

have seen. It will be chilly, frost in the north as the wind eases down.

Tomorrow, a showery start. In Scotland, working north through the

morning, lovely start to the day for the Highlands and the north-east,

then another band of heavier showers works northeastwards across the

country on strengthening winds, and it will be a chilly day, some

wintriness in those showers over the high ground. Into tomorrow evening,

that band continues to work northeastwards, but behind it some

drier, clearer conditions developing through the evening. Still showers

for the North and Western Isles, the north-west Highlands, Argyll, the

Glasgow area, but a lot of dry weather for central, southern and

eastern Scotland. It will be chilly, temperatures getting down close to

freezing. A cold start to New Year's Day, but a dry and bright one,

especially across the North, just a few showers for the Western Isles.

Later in the day, strengthening winds, because as we head into

Saturday, we back under the influence of low pressure,

unsettled, cloudy and windy with spells of rain, heavy at times.

I'll be back with the very latest at 10:15.

Until then, from everyone on the team

right across the country, have a very good evening.