08/01/2016 Reporting Scotland

Dozens of homes evacuated, as the north-east takes the brunt

of some of the worst flooding on record.

By day householders have been taking stock of the damage

I am in Port Elphinstone, where residents strangled -- struggle to

avoid raging flood water. And I am in Ellon, when people have been

returning home to assess the damage. And we take to the air to see

for ourselves how the flooding has brought disruption to

the road and rail network. Also on the programme: Scotland's

love affair with booze - now new guidelines cut

the recommended amount of alcohol And one of the biggest weekends in

the Scottish football calendar starts tonight here in Paisley.

Two severe flood warnings - meaning there's a risk to life -

remain in place in parts of north-eastern Scotland.

Heavy rain caused dozens of people to leave their homes

in Aberdeenshire, after heavy rain caused rivers to overflow.

Our reporter John McManus is in Port Elphinstone,

near Inverurie, where homes have been flooded.

The pumps are hard at work here tonight in Port Elphinstone, but it

was a very different scene last night. It looked like a disaster

movie, with water surging down the road, in and dating houses and

causing a very sudden evacuation. Port Elphinstone this morning,

another north-east town hit by flooding. Several streets and many

more homes recovering from last night's onslaught by the River Don.

Hundreds of people evacuated their homes but this morning emergency

workers and others were still concerned about some of them. I am

checking on our service users. I'm checking that she is OK. Have you

managed to contact her? The firemen are checking at the moment. Laura

McIntosh's ground floor flat was inundated. I saw the water rising

and I thought, get out. She had heard the flood warnings and she

tried to prepare. It was too late for sandbags. We just packed a few

things and shipped out, basically. It wasn't until this morning we knew

there were boats getting everybody out of the flats. This is what she

was escaping, the River Don sweeping through the town. Families grabbing

what they could, then ferried out on ambulances. Inevitably, there was

some confusion, with routes to the emergency rest centre blocked by

water. This is an unprecedented flood and inevitably the talk comes

to what you can do to prevent it. I'm not sure any measures could have

been stopped -- could have been put in to stop this but, longer term,

people will want to look at river management. After a succession of

devastating floods, local and national politicians are under

pressure. They are finding it increasingly hard to explain scenes

like this to voters. Things are much, here this evening.

I'm joined now by the local MP and MSP, Alex Salmond. Have you ever

seen anything like this flooding? No, it is a scene of total

devastation. Canal road was part of the River Don, which was as broad as

the Mississippi last night. There is a huge human angle. Down the road,

Mr and Mrs Ross, they have been married for 67 years. They missed

being flooded by inches last Monday but they were flooded out last

night. Heart-rending. You have been speaking to local people. Are they

happy with the response from local and national government? There is

huge aspiration for the effort put in by the local police and Fire

Service. The operation which kicked in to help people, and remember, not

a single life has been lost, was exceptional last evening and earlier

this week, nothing but praise. What we are looking for now is assistance

from central government, not just a scheme which has already kicked in.

We are hoping that we First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will be

announcing that tomorrow. Homes were also evacuated and power lost in the

town of Ellon 15 miles north. Power has now been restored.

Its riverside location would normally be a source of envy but, as

the Ythan rose, it became a source of danger, water surrounding the

house and everyone inside. It was coming in both doors, along with

garage and through the house. You couldn't stand up. This video

captures the Ythan's rapid rise, water levels peaking around 5am with

serious consequences for those living near the river. It is the

middle of the afternoon here, and the street and the pavements are

still flooded, but 12 hours ago the situation was much worse, water

coming up over this wall behind me, forcing the residents in these homes

to leave. Inside, the dirty water had claimed furniture and

possessions. Alastair Campbell returning home briefly to salvage

what he could. Pretty much what we expected, to be honest, our worst

fears. So, at the moment, we are just shell-shocked. We are just

grabbing what we can afford things start going mouldy. Bush before.

Having helped to evacuate scores of homes, firefighters turned their

attention to the power supply, a flooded substation leaving around

150 houses without electricity. What kind of morning has it been? I am

living on my own. It hasn't been good. From the town's main bridge,

the sites were so unusual that they drew a crowd including local

schoolchildren, who were all given an unexpected day off. The school

was nearly flooded. What have you done instead? Row we went for a

walk. Is that better than going to school? The worst is yes. People are

left to pick up the pieces, hoping this unwarranted spectacle doesn't

return. Heartbreaking for the householders

in Port Elphinstone and Ellon, John, but the floods

have had an impact right There been has heavy rain for days

across Aberdeenshire, For many people that has meant

travel disruption as roads have been You get a better overview

from the air, so Huw Williams joined a Network Rail survey team flying

north from Perth to look From 1500 feet up and at more than

100 mph, as the Network Rail helicopter heads out of Perth, it

looks like there is water everywhere. There has been

particular concern about this bridge. It was up to a very high

level, just below the rail. It needed to be checked regularly just

to ensure that there was no movement in the Stones underneath the track

and the supporting embankment, to make sure there was no damage to it

occurring because of the water. But that is not the main objective of

today's survey. Even before we set off, it was clear the priority had

to be a landslip at Killiecrankie tunnel. A lot of debris has fallen

onto the track including some trees. We have staff on site dealing with

that but we are going to look at the rest of the line which perhaps staff

haven't been able to get to. We can target any response of ground crews

to just go to specific sites. Engineers are working now to clear

the problems but train services between Inverness and the central

belt have been disrupted and there are still road closures in force.

The A90 near Peterhead was shot in both directions by flood water and

dozens of minor roads are still effective. You can cover much more

ground much more quickly. This is revealing that, although water

levels are going down... There are still plenty of areas where

waterlogged ground and fallen trees are ready to slip across the track,

potentially causing more problems. The trees have fallen over and the

tops of the trees... From here, just to make sure. I took some pictures.

We will feedback to the engineers. The next problem is going to be

snow, especially in Ayrshire, the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway,

but the good news is that emergency repairs have been completed to the

runway at Aberdeen airport. Rail engineers say the storm damage

to a crucial viaduct on the West Coast Main line is more

severe than they first thought. And they're now in a race

against time to make the structure safe and reopen the line

by the end of the month. The Lamington viaduct was damaged

by flood waters on Hogmanay. Our transport correspondent

David Miller reports. This is one of Britain's's busiest

railway lines but, today, and for the rest of the month, these tracks

here will be silent. The only noise here, the constant rumble of

hundreds of tonnes of rock being moved into position to protect this

bridge from the waters of the Clyde. Inspections by divers have revealed

the damage to the structure is more severe than first thought and the

engineers working here on out in a race against time to make this

structure safe and reopen the line by the end of the month. The raging

floodwaters swept away in Victorian masonry on the bridge's central

support, undermining the structure. The man in charge of the project

says he faces a massive challenge. The damage we have found in the last

couple of days has been much more severe than we thought, and we have

this thing where, through turbulence of the water, it undermines the

structure of the pier significantly. We are in a programme to stabilise

that peer by Sunday and, next week, we will finalise our programme for

the repairs. Transport ministers from Holyrood and Westminster

arrived here to be briefed on the problems caused by the recent record

rainfall. We have to plan and prepare for that because that is

what the experts tell us, that we are facing more volatile weather, so

we have to adapt. Preventing damage like this in the years ahead will

require huge investment in Britain's rail network. The UK Government

insists record amounts are already being spent. How much of the UK rail

budget is being spent on climate mitigation? I don't know but, for

the first time in 100 years, we are spending these amounts of money on

the railway structure and the structure is much smaller than it

was 100 years ago. We are spending unprecedented amounts. For now, the

focus is on getting this line reopened. The train companies say

they are doing everything to minimise disruption and they have

thanked customers. Snow has been falling in other areas. Police said

around 50 cars were stuck for a time on the A7 between Langholm and

long-term in Dumfries and Galloway. The 68 MAJOR BOROUGH WAS ALSO STUCK

BUSH BLOCKED. THERE HAVE BEEN HAS EASED -- THERE HAS BEEN HEAVY SNOW

IN AYRSHIRE. Chris will be here with the full weekend weather forecast at

the end of the programme. An 82-year-old woman found murdered

in her Fife home was beaten to death with a rolling pin, BBC

Scotland understands. Marie Logie's body was found

in her first-floor flat in Leven She was last been seen alive

at 8am that morning. Police said she was the victim

of a "brutal and horrific attack" Health experts and charities

in Scotland are welcoming It's now recommended that men

and women drink no more than 14 units a week, with some

alcohol-free days. It's less than was previously

recommended, and a dramatic Our health correspondent

Eleanor Bradford reports. Judging by the empty seats in this

popular Glasgow Pub, many of us are still recovering after a festive

binge but, to pile on the guilt, the chief medical officers of all four

UK nations say we should dramatically cut our drinking to

stay healthy. One problem with the new guidance is, like the old

guidance, it is expressed in units rather than the kind of measures we

are used to in the pub so, with the help of Eleanor, we are trying to

make out what it means for you. The new guidelines say you should have

14 units spread over a week with days. Each day, that is one large

bottle of beer or a pint of beer or cider, just under a large glass of

wine, two whiskeys or three small gin and tonics or vodka tonics. How

does that compare with your consumption? About a 10th. At the

weekends, I'll have if you drinks. That might be the most unhealthy

weight to drink. Possibly. I think I just drink more. In France, a glass

of wine would be the maximum that the government recommends. In

Scotland, we drink a fifth more than England and Wales and we buy an

average of 20 units of alcohol each week. The new guideline is that we

should drink 14. Now the link between alcohol and cancer is much

better understood. Alcohol is responsible for 6% of all cancer

deaths. We knew about liver cancer in people with severe alcohol

problems but the evidence now shows we have risks for breast cancer,

mouth and throat cancer, gullet than Sir -- gullet cancer and colon and

rectal cancer. It harms the unborn child, so the rest of the UK has now

followed Scotland's lead in recommending that women don't drink

at all during pregnancy. I mentioned snow earlier and, as if to prove a

point, here is David. I've argued with my cameraman, I said it was

snow coming he said fleet. I think you'll see is snow.

I'm at the Paisley 2021 Stadium because it's Scottish Cup

fourth round weekend - one of the highlights

of the football year, the time when the Premiership

One of them, Partick Thistle, are playing here tonight against

Championship side St Mirren to begin the weekend. I am delighted to say

that the neo- -ish St Mirren manager, Alex Rae, joins me. What is

it about the Scottish cup? Does it still have that magic? Without a

doubt, one of the trophies I never won as a player so we are trying to

compose a good team tonight. Romantics like me dream of Cup

upsets. Can you do it tonight? I hope so, we had a good performance

at the weekend. Partick Thistle are flying in the league. He's done a

great job but we want to take the game to them and impose ourselves.

They are in good form. And St Mirren have not won a home came here, the

stadium is in such good condition that people want to come here. We

need to get a home win and hopefully build that into league campaign. And

some innovation tonight, no segregation in some areas, some

Partick Thistle fans will set alongside St Mirren fans, will that

add to the atmosphere? I hope so. Both clubs have a good family

spirit. The conditions aren't great but and would recommend to anyone to

come along to night. The snow is falling. What kind of much can we

expect? Great conditions for me, just a bit of wind, and that of

snow, no rain, I think it will be a feisty encounter. Do you enjoy video

technology and would you like that introduced? Yes. I'm glad you said

that. In next season's Scottish Cup,

video technology could be used The SFA's chief executive wants it

to be trialled in the competition - Alasdair Lamont's been gauging

opinion from others in the game. It is incidents like this that might

be resolved on the spot. If the video technology proposal gets the

green light. The controversy over this handball that never was might

have been avoided. The football lawmaking body will decide in March

if trials can take place. They will be limited to decisions on goals,

red cards, penalties and cases of mistaken identity. A step forward,

says the SS FA, although not for everyone. Where are you going to

draw the line? If you started maybe it will be like in American

football, a lot of stops in the game and we don't want that. I understand

the concerns about losing the rhythm and pace of the game but technology,

as it is now, there's no delay. It is split second. That split second

decision could reduce injustice. The red card in this case was

overturned, but not until a couple of days later, too late to help the

aggrieved manager. I think its time, technology is here, the touchline,

the press, the TV cameras can see it in ten seconds, if it means we get

the right decisions more often, I am for it. To help get the right

decisions rugby uses a similar system with the referee connected to

a television match official. The football version won't be a replica

but if trials are successful it could be the norm by 2018. You can

follow all the fun of this season's Scottish Cup across the BBC.

Including commentary of tonights match on Radio Scotland 810 medium

wave, if you fancy something else there's rugby on 92-95 FM.

One of the biggest stars of world athletics is in Scotland this

weekend - not for the Scottish Cup though.

in the Edinburgh International Cross Country, and he's been speaking

to Jane Lewis about that and about the sport's

on-going doping and corruption scandals.

Mo Farah is hoping to lead the way in Edinburgh tomorrow. He believes

Britain should be doing likewise as his sport battle stoping and

corruption controversies. It will take time. We are working on it.

We've got to clean up. We do the best we can in our country to do

what we do and I hope that we can live by example and get rid of the

bad ones. Mo Farah is going to make it two gold medals! This will be his

first competitive race of the year, all part of his Olympic preparations

and Edinburgh will provide a tough test. This is the course that will

test him and his fellow runners, Holyrood Park will proved tricky,

it's been wet although underfoot and is beginning to get hard with

overnight frost. It's definitely different to running on the road,

running 26 miles, it is shorter, but it should help, the kind of training

and doing now. It will be a real test. I'm excited about the race and

I will give 110%, see what happens. It gives me an indicator of where my

training as that, where I am. Mo Farah won this event in 2011. With

the final preparations being made to the course this year, he will be

hoping for a repeat performance. I don't know if it will snow on Mo,

but there's certainly plenty of it coming down here! Thanks very much.

It's regarded as one of the most significant battles in Scottish

history - yet the Battle of Stirling Bridge is barely marked.

And although everyone knows about William Wallace -

in some ways, thanks to Hollywood - his co-commander Andrew De Moray has

Six designs shortlisted to commemorate the two men

and the battle went on display in Stirling today.

Our arts correspondent Pauline McLean reports.

This is the site, these are the stones that we put up as phase one.

It may have been one of the most significant battles in Scottish

history but there is one modest stone to mark this battle and that

took 700 years to arrange. I think it has been overlooked because

sterling is dominated by the Wars of Independence. The Wallace money

meant, the castle behind me, the Battle of Bannockburn with its

eccentric, they have kind of forgotten, I think we have taken for

granted this battle. Not any more. A three-year campaign has raised the

money to build a new artwork, and develop this site is a tourist

attraction. And, if little is known about William Wallace, even less is

known about his fellow commander, Andrew De Moray. He didn't even get

mentioned in the Hollywood film Braveheart so the briefers for a

large-scale artwork that commemorates them both. These are

the ideas of the six artists short listed. Andrew De Moray was mortally

wounded at the battle and we think he died shortly afterwards. The

plaudits for the victory went to Wallace. So very few of us know

about Andrew De Moray. So I've tried to show him, give him the best seat,

as it were. So he is elevated, on horseback. I have opted for two

figures and further characterisation of the figures of Andrew De Moray

and Wallace because nobody knew what they looked like. I thought I would

try to interpret it from all the knowledge you could ask. All six of

the designs will remain on display until the end of February, at which

point they hope to have chosen the winner. As for the actual one and,

they hope it will be here on this site by the anniversary of the

Battle in 2017. Here's Chris to tell

us what we can expect The snow has clearly arrived, can

you solve the problem that David and the cameraman

it looked like wet snow to me. After all that rain in the last few days,

snow has caused issues today especially in the south of the

country. This band of rain and snow working north, six hours later than

we had forecast, causing issues on the road although it is fading away.

This is one of the pictures sent in by a weather watchers seen in the

Borders early on. Once that rain and snow clears our Tej will be on the

ice. We have eight Met Office yellow warning in force overnight. The rain

clearing away, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth Dundee, and then clear, cold,

frosty, and indeed I see. AV patches of light rainfall Caithness,

Northern Aberdeen, elsewhere, look at the temperatures, the coldest

spots across the north-east, maybe -5 minus six. For tomorrow a try and

foremost, some icy patches, light rain across the far north and in

south again wet weather arriving and moving north, potentially some wet

snow to lower levels, mainly rain, especially in towns and cities. By

mid-afternoon improving in the South, called with some writers

coming through airshow, to the north that snow still with us a game,

difficult driving conditions at times. To the north-west, dryer, a

few showers, breezy around northern coasts, some sunshine for Shetland.

If you are hill walking or climbing on Western ranges, a dry start,

expect wintry showers through the course of the day, generally sunny

around Skye. A dry start a round the Cairngorms, those easterly winds

freshening. In the south-west and begins as south-easterly, veering

south, was five, forceful, good visibility. Around the Firth of

Forth, a straight easterly, four, six, moderate seas, moderate

visibility. Towards the evening we begin to see another band of rain

arriving in the south, marching north and hitting the north-east.

Another yellow warning, particularly for those areas prone to flooding

way we have seen is a much devastation in the last couple of

days. Low pressure still here on Sunday, still some rain, likeliest

the heaviest of it across the north-west. Elsewhere, dryer, a few

showers, it will be cold and the wind will get stronger around the

north and the north-west thank you. A reminder of the

headlines, two severe flood warnings, risk to life, remain in

place around north-east Scotland, dozens of people have had to leave

their homes in parts of Aberdeenshire after rivers

overflowed due to heavy rain. Health experts and charities in Scotland

are welcoming new guidelines for safe drinking. It is now recommended

that men and women drink no more than 14 units a week with Sunday's

alcohol free. A dramatic reduction for men.

I'll be back with the headlines in the late bulletin just

Until then, from everyone on the team, right

She can marry if she likes, but she'll be unhappy if she does.