HEAVY rains have caused flash floods, closed roads and forced the evacuation of campers at a music festival in the same part of Scotland where a man was washed away and killed two weeks ago.

The A9 was closed southbound at Drumossie, near Inverness, yesterday morning, while the Red Cross was called to help revellers at the Belladrum festival, also being held near Inverness, after floodwaters engulfed a campsite.

William Hamilton, 68, died in a fast-flowing burn last month as he tried to unblock a culvert which was causing homes of neighbours to flood.

Highland Council has already arranged to meet angry residents this week about dealing with the localised flooding.

And, after the latest storms, locals are urging immediate action to prevent further tragedies.

John Stewart, of Culloden, said: "We are getting sick and tired of this.

"We believe the drainage in the areas is not up to dealing with the massive new developments which have sprung up in the last few years."

Parts of eastern Scotland saw almost a month's worth of rain fall yesterday, with up to 60mm in some areas. More rain is predicted later on this week, with the west coast expected to bear the brunt.

The Red Cross said more than 60 people, mainly families with young children, were moved into a makeshift centre in a performance tent on higher ground by 5am yesterday after flooding at the music festival.

Emergency supplies of blankets and heaters were brought in from a Red Cross store at Dalcross, 22 miles away, to help bring some comfort.

Ian Rideout, from the charity, said: "The fields at Belladrum were already soaked after heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. A series of torrential showers overnight on Saturday and into this morning saturated the ground, causing localised flooding.

"The festival ended last night and those still camping are heading home. Roads are passable but many vehicles on the festival site are bogged down, stranding their owners."

The Government yesterday scrambled emergency teams to keep roads open in Scotland. Alex Neil, the Scottish Government infrastructure secretary, said: "Our road operating companies have been on standby with the necessary specialist equipment, given the heavy rain we are experiencing. I'm pleased that Scotland Transerv has been able to quickly reopen the A9 southbound carriageway.

"The road closed at 9.30am to ensure the safety of motorists but a local diversion was put in place and it reopened just before midday. We are monitoring the effects of the rain today and our road operating companies are standing ready to deal with any localised disruption that occurs."

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issued flood warnings for Dundee and Angus, and Tayside. There were also minor flood alerts issued for Aberdeenshire, central and west central Scotland, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife and the Borders.

Yesterday, SEPA said the River Brothock in Arbroath, Angus, would rise throughout the day, risking flooding in nearby town centre streets.

Parts of Dundee may also see localised flooding after 50mm of rain fell.

The environment body warned that the River Isla between Bridge of Ruthven and Leitfie, near Dundee, could break its banks.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the north east of Scotland, which will continue until at least 2pm today. A spokesman said: "There is a broad area of rain across the country. We are over the heaviest of the rain, but it will still be quite persistent, with occasional heavy bursts. Rain will be concentrated on the north east of Scotland.

"The worry is that one or two rivers in that area will continue to rise. There is still concern over some rivers in the north, such as the Huntly and others to the north of Aberdeen."