VIDEOS taken in Musselburgh show the River Esk with alarmingly  high waters, as residents in the area are warned to" stay away" by East Lothian Council. 

Pictures shared with the Courier show the River Esk in the town and how high the waters are following 36 hours of torrential rain.

The main video was taken by Suzanne Reid at about 6.30pm last night. While the video below was shot at about 11.20pm.

East Lothian Council had placed 1,000 sandbags by the banks of the Esk in preparation for potential flooding. 

The council had also taken further precautionary action, with blockades being deployed after flood barriers were put in place in nearby streets.

In an update on the situation this morning, an East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The multi-agency flood response group - including representation from the council, emergency services, Met Office, Scottish Government and SEPA – met a number of times on Thursday and into the evening.

“As precautionary measures, sandbags and temporary flood barriers were put in place at appropriate locations in Musselburgh as a result of rising water levels on the River Esk.

“The situation with water levels on the River Esk was monitored during the night and we will continue to keep a watchful eye.

“While conditions have improved, water levels on the river remain high following the incessant rain of recent days.

"In the interests of everyone’s safety, we would still ask members of the public to stay away and keep pets away from the riverbank until water levels drop.”