BRECHIN HAVOC

>> 400 homes evacuated as Storm Babet hits Scotland >> 70mph wind and a month's rain in one day cause chaos

- SALLY HIND

STORM Babet wreaked havoc as it swept into Scotland yesterday - forcing hundreds from their homes and leaving thousands without power.

A rare "danger to life" warning kicked in as the east of the country bore the brunt, with gusts of more than 70mph recorded and over one month's worth of rain predicted to fall in one day.

More than 400 homes in Brechin, Angus, were asked to evacuate due to the risk of flooding, while more than 10,000 were left without power.

The storm claimed its first victim after a 57-year-old woman was swept into the Water of Lee, in Glen Esk, north of Brechin around 1.45pm.

Sadly, her body was recovered by officers around two hours later. Her identity is unknown at this time. The Water of Lee uns into Loch Lee, at the north of the glen.

Angus is currently under a Red weather warning, meaning there is a danger to life. Huge waves battered the coastline in areas like Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, while cancelled flights, trains, buses, ferries and closed roads heaped travel misery on commuters.

Forecasters warned more "extremely dangerous weather" was on its way today while First Minister Humza Yousaf urged Scots to heed advice.

Met Office Meteorologist Tom Morgan told the Record: "It's been about eight years since Scotland has seen this amount of rain falling and this extensive flooding.

"The last time Scotland had a red warning for rain in place was back in 2015 that was for Storm Desmond.