A 16th century castle edged closer to slipping into a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on Monday (4 January), after severe flooding continued to erode the banks of the River Dee. The owner of Abergeldie Castle, Baron Abergeldie, John Gordon and his wife fled the castle after the river burst its banks.

The 400-year old building is just a few miles away from the Queen's Balmoral estate. Neighbours of the Baron, Michael and Pauline Tatham, called the flooding an "absolute disaster."

"The castle has been there for 400 odd years and the family's been associated with it. It's just an absolute disaster for the poor man. The river has taken out the banking, it's undercut the foundations. The chances are it's going to fall into the river and part of its heritage is just going to go. It's a disaster for us," said Michael.

Severe floods have swept across Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland through the end of December and the start of 2016 after Storm Frank battered Britain.

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