Firefighters combat heavy floods

Flash flooding caused major delays on the M77

Firefighters rescued a pregnant woman who was caught up in serious flash flooding in Ayrshire.

A crew from Dreghorn were going to deal with flooding in Newmilns but were flagged down by a male driver.

His wife had gone into labour and he was taking her to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock on Wednesday.

The firefighters took the woman to hospital by fire engine. It was one of scores of incidents triggered by the flooding across the area.

The most seriously affected areas were around Newmilns and Kilmarnock. In Newmilns itself, the River Irvine burst its banks, prompting numerous calls for help.

Hampering progress

Units from Newmilns, Cumnock and Ayr were despatched to deal with the flooding which was over 2ft deep in parts of the Main Street and surrounding areas.

Another two units from Mauchline and Kilwinning were sent to help a man whose car became stuck due to flooding affecting the Galston to Newmilns road.

The driver was soon brought to safety.

In Kilmarnock, local firefighters were called to assist at more than 20 reported incidents of flooding.

Firefighters were also called when the roof of a detached house in Eday Crescent was struck by lightning.

Flooding brought traffic to a standstill on the M77, hampering the progress of East Kilbride firefighters who were going to help their colleagues in Ayrshire.