FOUR people were rescued from a flooded business by Fire and Rescue Service boats last night amid extremely heavy rainfall across southern Scotland.

The adults were “safe and well” after their evacuation from the premises on Whitesands in Dumfries, according to Nithsdale police.

Weather warnings are currently in place across southern Scotland and northern England. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued 20 flood warnings and five flood alerts, while a major incident was declared in Hawick amid fears that up to 500 properties could be flooded.

The incident was stood down last night when Sepa said the River Teviot had reached a peak of 2.9m at 7.30pm, and is now receding.

Schools and a health centre in the town were closed earlier along with schools in Peebles, which was also hit by flooding as the River Tweed burst its banks.

And Network Rail Scotland warned that the bridges across the River Annan had been “washed away”, meaning the railway line connecting Dumfries with Carlisle would have to be closed until further notice.

READ MORE: Homes evacuated after ‘major incident’ declared over flood risk in Hawick

Despite already facing persistent rain over the past few days – 132mm of rain was recorded at Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway between Wednesday at 1am and Thursday at 6pm, according to the Met Office – southern Scotland faces further warnings today.

A yellow warning is in place for south-west Scotland, with further heavy rain expected, which could lead to more disruption and flooding.

According to meteorologist and STV weather presenter Sean Batty, the extreme weather is an example of climate change.

"We talk about more extremes occurring through climate change & today is an example of that in action," he tweeted earlier. "Since Wednesday morning there's been 364mm of rain at Honister Pass in Cumbria. That's more rain than we'd expect in Glasgow for the WHOLE of winter."

The National:

Scotland’s transport minister Graeme Dey said: “The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the trunk road and rail networks, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.

“Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive to the conditions.”

He added: “If you are planning to travel by rail, please check with your operator ahead of your journey.

“This is particularly important for cross-border travellers following the earlier disruption to services.”