EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Hundreds of people were forced from their homes Friday in Scotland and roads were closed as rain-gorged rivers topped their banks.
Police asked residents of the northeast, the hardest hit area, to stay off the roads, The Scotsman reported. They were also urged to stay away from flooded areas instead of sightseeing.
Chief Inspector Hugh Mackie of the Grampian Police said officers who could have been assisting residents and business owners in flooded areas were instead doing crowd control.
"This is a selfish diversion of resources and interferes with our role in protecting people and property directly affected by these events," he said.
Drivers were also told to pay attention to road closing signs.
About 400 homes in the Elgin area and 50 in Fochabers were evacuated. The rivers Lossie and Spey, which empty into the North Sea, both caused flooding.
The heaviest rain overnight was in Aberdeen and Lossiemouth, both getting 2 inches in 12 hours.
Celebrity chef Nick Nairn canceled the opening day of a two-week food festival in Dundee. Rural Affairs Minister Richard Lochhead, who represents Moray in the Scottish Parliament, had already pulled out of the opening to tour flooded areas instead.
