Two footbridges in Scotland have been washed away as communities across Northern England and Southern Scotland deal with the impact of flash floods yesterday.
Downpours in Dumfries and Galloway led to two historic footbridges, the Cuthbertson Bridge and the Diamond Jubilee Bridge (pictured before the collapse above) over the River Annan, being swept away as river levels rose.
The incident led to Network Rail Scotland suspending services between Dumfries and Carlisle which cross the Annan viaduct which is located downstream from the footbridges is checked for damage.
The Diamond Jubilee Bridge was originally constructed in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's 60th anniversary on the thone. The Cuthbertson Memorial Bridge was built in 1957 to commemorate Lt William Cuthbertson.
A number of train services across the region have been cancelled of delayed due to the level of water affecting tracks. The town of Dumfries was submerged in flood water after the River Nith burst its banks following heavy rainfall.
A flood incident in Hawick was declared after 500 homes were feared to be at risk of flooding. Residents were allowed to return to their homes after the river levels peaked.
Up to 1,400 sandbags were distributed in Dumfries to help alleviate flooding to properties.
Commenting on the flooding in Dumfries chief inspector Stuart Davidson from Police Scotland said community groups had been responding to the flooding in Dumfries: “This has been a monumental effort from everyone involved, as we’ve seen some of the worst flooding in our region for a number of years.
“The picture continued to change rapidly throughout the day, but all partners were able to make decisions and mobilise their efforts to make sure that we provided support where it was needed and kept individuals safe.”
The flooding in Southern Scotland and Northern England comes as world leaders travel to the region to attend the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.
The talks are aimed at agreeing details of how the world aims to reduce CO2 emissions over the coming decades to reduce the impact of global warming.
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