Flooding has closed a number of roads and a large part of the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line.

Heavy rain in the area has made conditions hazardous.

Railtrack said the rail line had been closed between Forres and Insch due to four separate instances of flooding.

Normal services will operate between Aberdeen and Insch from where a connecting bus service will call at all stations to Inverness.

Some roads have been closed

Trains will also operate as normal between Inverness and Forres with a bus connecting all stations to Aberdeen.

There is no estimate for the reopening of the line.

Heavy rain is expected to continue for the remainder of Friday.

A spokesman for Railtrack said: "We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused by this closure."

"We are sure they appreciate this decision has been taken in the interests of their safety.

"Railtrack engineers are currently on site working to re-open the line as soon as possible."

Lifeboat rescue

A Grampian Police spokeswoman said roads in and around Rothes, Craigellachie and Dufftown were closed due to flooding.

"Motorists are strongly advised to avoid these areas," she said.

A 31-year-old man had to be rescued by a lifeboat after he was stranded on top of his car.

Mark Fraser became trapped on a road near the Peterhead bypass.

The A939 Tomintoul to Ballater road was closed at the Lecht due to snow and ice after about 10 motorists became stranded.