In Pictures: Communities cut off as Storm Babet brings ‘unprecedented’ rain

The Met Office issued a red warning across Scotland and hundreds of homes were asked to evacuate.

A man lifts his dog over a flood defence barrier erected on Church Street in the village of Edzell, Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Some residents have been asked to evacuate their homes as Storm Babet swept across the UK and Ireland on Thursday.

The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for parts of Scotland and said some communities could be cut off for several days by severe flooding.

In Ireland, the army and civil defence units were called in to provide support and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who visited those affected in Midleton, Co Cork, said a financial package will be offered to homes and businesses damaged in floods.