Dramatic rescue after 12 saved from bus stuck in floodwater caused by Storm Frank

The Stagecoach bus is said to have become caught in floodwater as the storm continues to cause devastation by battering Britain with gales and sixth inches of rain.

Emergency services - including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Royal Navy and the coastguard - are at the scene in Dailley, South Ayrshire.

Of those rescued, 10 were reported to have been airlifted from the vehicle, while two were saved by boat.

Four men, six women and two children - a boy aged seven and a girl aged five - had been stranded in the vehicle.

They were being assessed by medical staff following the dramatic rescue.

An eyewitness described how the bus was “near enough submerged” in the water.

Jacqueline Hendry told STV: “The road runs alongside the River Girvan, which has burst its banks and the bus looked like it had been pushed into the water.

“There were people still on board, and the bus was in almost complete darkness. It was hard to tell how many were inside, but there were definitely people trapped.”

It is not clear how the bus became trapped in the floods, but it has been reported that it could have been caught in flash flooding caused by a sudden downpour.

A Maritime and Coastuard Agency spokeswoman said: "I can confirm we've been called in by police to assist with an incident where a bus and some occupants have been trapped in some flood

water."

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "The bus was travelling from Girvan to Ayr when it got stuck in water in Linfern Road near to a local golf course.

"The Royal Navy helicopter airlifted 10 people from the bus. They were taken to Dailly local community centre where they were assessed by medical staff.

"Two people were taken off the bus by officers from Police Scotland’s Marine Unit and have also been taken to the local community centre."

A spokesman for Stagecoach said: "One of our buses travelling from Girvan to Ayr was involved in an incident near Dailly this afternoon.

"The road, which was open to traffic at the time, was affected by flooding and we are assisting the emergency services in dealing with the situation."

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Update: Scene in Dailly, South Ayrshire where bus passengers reported trapped by flood https://t.co/AZQpGkqIe2 pic.twitter.com/E8Jh5bLLdH

Earlier today it was reported that thousands of families have been evacuated from their homes in the wake of Storm Frank.

Heavy rain and wind with speeds of up to 80mph have been pounding Britain in recent days, with the south west and parts of Scotland becoming the latest areas to be affected by wicked weather

after the already flood-stricken north.

Storm Frank has whipped up colossal waves in coastal regions of the south west, while thousands in Scotland and Northern Ireland have been left without power.

More than 100 flood warnings and almost 100 lower level flood alerts are currently in place across the UK.

The Isle of Man was also put on height alert as four inches of rain was due to fall.

The latest Storm Frank rescue mission comes just days after an elderly couple were rescued from their car after it became trapped under a bridge in Devon.

Meanwhile a family had to be saved from their flooded car in York as the heavy rain battered the city.

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