Severe weather has brought disruption to roads, rail services and ferries across much of Scotland.

Schools were closed and homes evacuated as the flooding and high winds struck first in the south of the country and spread northwards during the day.

The east was hardest hit by the disruption on Tuesday evening, with many roads closed throughout Lothian and Borders.

The Edinburgh city bypass was shut between the Calder and Straiton junctions because emergency services were unable to drain flood water.

Flooding hit rail services in North Berwick

The slip road onto the northbound M90 at junction two in Fife was closed by a landslide, while about 10 miles of the A92 was closed between Ladybank and the Tay Road Bridge as a result of flood water and abandoned vehicles.

Floods and fallen trees affected many parts of Angus, but it was Grampian which experienced the worst of the weather on Tuesday night.

Police said that the main rivers had all burst their banks in places.

High winds and driving rain made driving difficult across the region, with many roads closed and others are barely passable.

Flooding and high winds also affected roads around Inverness, including the Raigmore Interchange and the Kessock Bridge.

Homes were flooded and schools were closed as the south of the country woke up to the worst of the early weather on Tuesday.

The River Teviot near Jedburgh was swollen

Meteorologists said that at least 70mm of rain had fallen in parts of the south in 36 hours.

Residents had to evacuate several homes at Innerleithen in the Borders, and more than 30 elderly people were moved out of their accommodation at Kelso as a precaution.

At one point the Borders General Hospital in Melrose was effectively cut off by flood water.

Firefighters had difficulties getting to the scene of a large fire on a farm near the town because of flooding.

Water levels

Eyemouth was also hit particularly hard, with several businesses in the town centre and Harbour Road areas flooded.

Elsewhere, patients in a ward at Belhaven Hospital in Dunbar, East Lothian, had to be moved into other parts of the building because of the water levels.

The railway line at North Berwick was under several feet of water and sections of the east and the west coast main lines were closed.

Flooding near the Dumfries village of Ecclefechan disrupted Virgin services to England before the west coast line was reopened at 1215 BST.

Railtrack, which maintains rail stations and routes, said there was "major disruption" after the main eastern line was shut between Innerwick, in East Lothian, and Grantshouse in the Borders.

A spokesperson said signalling engineers were working to complete repairs and reopen the line as soon as possible.

'Remain vigilant'

A number of other lines were affected, with services on the main Edinburgh to Glasgow line halved.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency urged anyone at risk of flooding to remain vigilant.

One severe flood warning was in place at the Gala Water on Tuesday evening, along with 14 other flood warnings and 27 flood watches.

The latest information is available on Floodline: 0845 988 1188

Several families left their homes

Aberdeen harbour was closed, forcing Northlink to divert its Orkney and Shetland ferry to Rosyth.

Severe gales forced the company to cancel its sailings from Aberdeen, Kirkwall and Lerwick.

Ferry services in the Firth of Clyde were also reduced or cancelled because of the bad weather.

People living in parts of the Black Isle and in the Dingwall and Evanton areas were being advised to boil water because of fears that the heavy rainfall could have led to the contamination of supplies from a local treatment works.

The CIS Cup football matches between St Johnstone and Livingston and between Airdrie United and Dundee United were postponed due to waterlogged pitches.