Edinburgh attractions closed and lorries blown over as wind and rain batter Scotland

Strong winds and heavy rain have battered Scotland, with yellow weather warnings in place across the country.

The Met Office warned of downpours and gusty winds for most of the day, leading to travel disruption and localised flooding.

That was evidenced in East Lothian, where two lorries were blown over by the wind.

The HGVs were travelling along the A1 when the incident happened between Innerwick and Skateraw at around 7.45am, leaving the road blocked in both directions.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were at the scene but there were no reports of any injuries.

A police spokeswoman said: “Police and the fire service are currently in attendance after two heavy goods vehicles were blown over on the A1 between Innerwick and Skateraw.

“The incident happened around 7.45am this morning. Both carriageways are currently blocked and emergency services remain at the scene.”

Elsewhere, the A83 at Ardgarten in Argyll and Bute was partially blocked because of a fallen tree.

The road was closed for nearly two hours before the tree was removed.

The weather warnings show the heaviest rain over western parts.

A wind warning was also issued for eastern parts – with both covering the central belt.

The weather caused Edinburgh’s Christmas market and rides to remain closed.

A statement on its website said: “This entry will be regularly updated to reflect the status of rides and attractions at Edinburgh’s Christmas as a result of inclement weather.

“Please note, weather conditions change quickly and although every effort is made to ensure this page is accurate and up-to-date there will be a time delay between closer/opening of rides and this page being updated.”

The city’s castle also did not open as normal this morning.

A statement on Twitter said: “Given the current weather in Edinburgh, unfortunately the castle will not open at 9.30am today, Tues 10 Dec.

“We will continue to assess the situation and will post an update as soon as we hear the castle will open. We apologises for an inconvenience caused.”

Two schools in Gairloch are also closed today due to the weather conditions.