Following the Met Office's warning of the potential for floods in southern Scotland, heavy downpours are now threatening the safety of homes near the country's border with England.

Emergency services are already said to have been called to a number of incidents where cascading water has left local residents needing to flee from some of the worst hit areas.

"When we first turned up it was extremely bad - the burn of the Castlegate had choked its culvert and the full volume of the water was going down the Castlegate and the high street," said Colin Bruce, group commander at Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade.

And while local homeowners and businesses struggle to keep their possessions safe from the water, they will all be hoping that their insurance policies provide them with adequate cover to cope with the cost of extensive damage to their properties that may have resulted from the flooding.