Search on for two missing in floods

Fears were growing last night for the safety of two men missing after their car was swept off a collapsed bridge into a swollen, fast-flowing river, writes Matthew Brace.

Divers hunting for the men, whose car was lost in the River Kelvin five miles north of Glasgow during torrential rains, were driven back by the speed of the current and an RAF helicopter had to be scrambled to join in the search.

A third man in the car escaped and raised the alarm, but late last night police officers had still not found the men.

"There's no word as yet and we are increasingly concerned for their safety," said a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police.

The accident occurred at the end of a weekend during which more than four inches of rain fell on Glasgow. At least 200 people had to be evacuated from their homes and up to 10,000 people were left without electricity.