Edinburgh weather: St James Quarter floods as heavy rainfall batters Edinburgh during storm

Edinburgh’s brand new St James Quarter has flooded as heavy downpours battered the city during a bout of extreme weather.

Footage taken at the new shopping centre shows water leaking through the roof, flooding several floors below on Sunday afternoon when the city was in the grips of a thunderstorm.

Staff at the centre can be seen mopping up pools of water inside several stores as shoppers were spotted gathering in the building’s more sheltered areas.

The Gyle Shopping Centre also flooded as rain leaked through the roof causing pools of water to form indoors.

Thunder could be heard and flashes of lightning seen in various parts of the Capital when the weather turned at about 4pm on Sunday.

Extreme rainfall caused flash flooding in parts of the city, particularly in Stockbridge where Raeburn Place and Comley Bank were submerged in water, forcing local shops in the area to close.

St James Quarter floods during thunderstorm in Edinburgh picture: Lisa-Marie Whilton

ScotRail confirmed several train services have been disrupted due to flooding between Haymarket and Edinburgh

For safety reasons, trains between Helensburgh and Edinburgh ran between Helensburgh and Bathgate only while flood warnings were in place.

The Met Office issued a warning as it predicted heavy showers and thunder storms to hit Edinburgh on Sunday that could lead to flooding and disruption across the city.

St James Quarter just opened its doors last week on 24 June after five years of construction work.

Staff spotted inside mopping up pools of water.

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