People had to be rescued from their homes in Moray, with the town of Elgin bearing the brunt of the damage from torrential rains.

The neighbouring towns of Forres and Rothes were also affected by the storms which forced the river Lossie to burst its banks.

The storms over the last two days take flood levels to a height we hadn't predicted

Bill Hope Elgin resident

Two hundred members of the emergency services took part in the rescue operation.

Three hundred people had to be moved to emergency accommodation with many staying overnight at Elgin High School.

The school's headteacher, Bill Hope, is co-ordinating emergency efforts.

He said people had coped "marvellously".

"There's almost a Dunkirk spirit," he said.

Insurance bill

Elgin was also hit by severe flooding in 1997 and 1999 so the town was well prepared.

But Mr Hope added: "The storms over the last two days take flood levels to a height we hadn't predicted."

And he said the clean-up bill would be "massive".

Lifeboat crews had to be called out on Saturday to rescue people trapped in their homes.

A spokesman for the RNLI said 22 lifeboat crew had been using five inflatable "Y-class" boats to help evacuate people from their homes.

Many residents were evacuated by boat

The police, fire brigade and RAF were also involved in the rescue operation as water levels rose to more than five feet in some places.

In Elgin, the Kingsmills and South West Murdie areas have been most severely affected, while in Forres, Fleurs Place has also been badly hit.

Overnight on Saturday, police warned people not to travel because 20 roads were still blocked and temperatures fell below zero.

The flood line number is 08459 881188