Freuchie and Cupar were the worst hit, with some homes reportedly flooded with 3-4ft of water.

Forecasters reported 31mm of rain falling at RAF Leuchars through the night, compared with 13mm in Edinburgh and the Borders.

The flooding was exacerbated by the drenching the region copped at the weekend, with many rivers still running high and much ground waterlogged.

John Hutchinson, a forecaster with the MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said, “Almost half a month’s rainfall fell in one night.

“The good news is that it looks to be drier for the rest of the day, though there could still be some showers.”

The rains brought near chaos to some parts of the region, but even in less affected areas surface water made for difficult driving conditions.

Carnoustie was the worst-affected area of Tayside, with residents in one street waking their gardens under several inches of water.

While Dundee escaped the worst of the flooding, it was not entirely unscathed.

The Brooksbank Centre on Pitairlie Road was flooded and several events due to take place as part of the Midlin Gala will now have to be postponed or cancelled.

Centre manager Ginny Lawson said, “It’s a nightmare. The electricity has been switched off and there’s about two inches of water. The firies are here trying to pump some of it out.

“We’ve had to cancel this morning’s Winning Way group and the 50-plus anniversary dance is being moved to Brown Church so we will also have to move tables up there for this afternoon.

“The table top sale will now take place a week on Saturday.”

A 70s’ disco scheduled for Saturday night at the centre will now take place at the Powrie Bar in Fintry and Jenny added that any groups or clubs that meet at the Brooksbank Centre can still call 01382 432450 to check if they are still able to use the facilities.

Flooding was also reported on busy streets such as Dens Road and in St Vincent Street and Ferndale Drive in Broughty Ferry.

Perthshire was spared the worst of the deluge.

Tayside Police confirmed all roads were open and Tayside Fire and Rescue hadn’t been called to assist with any flooding incidents in the region.

Three precautionary flood warnings remain in force though — for the River Earn, the lower Tay and its tributaries and the upper Tay and its tributaries.

These are in case of localised flooding from “small watercourses and surface water run off”.

Forfar and Kirriemuir areas meantime experienced heavy overnight rain but only localised flooding.

After a night of torrential rain, householders in Carnoustie’s Macdonald Smith Drive woke today to find the Barry Burn and the network of drainage ditches criss-crossing the area had been unable to cope.

Nine properties in the low-lying residential area were affected — but residents were generally relieved that things were not a great deal worse.

Richard Elliot, who lives in Macdonald Smith Drive with wife Carol and children Grace (2) and Libby (9 months), said, “A neighbour rang our doorbell about 7.15am and when I opened the door and saw him in his welly boots it was pretty self-evident what had happened.

“At its height the water was just short of coming in through the front door and the back garden was under about five inches. The overnight rain was horrendous —worse than the storm we had on Saturday night.

“The firefighters and Tayside Contracts staff have been just brilliant, doing everything they could to pump the flood water away and bringing sandbags down for us.

“I would say it has been more of an inconvenience than a disaster and everyone has been quite lucky.”

Around the corner, Karen and Denis Noble and sons Calum (11) and Ewan (5) awoke to find their drive and front garden under several inches of water.

Karen said, “We’ve been quite lucky because the water hasn’t actually got into the house, but it remains to be seen what has happened under the floor.

“The firemen and council contractors have been superb, keeping us informed about what they are doing and really showing great concern and sympathy.

“We’re all glad the rain has stopped and the water is starting to recede, but Calum thinks it’s brilliant and has been running around helping the Tayside Contracts people distribute sandbags.”

Gail Gibb and daughter Louise, whose house is one of those lying nearest the drainage ditch, were not quite so lucky.

“The water just came over the step and no more, but it was enough to flood the hallway and further into the house so I’m pretty sure there will be damage to the floors once they dry out,” Gail said.

“I’ve been in this house for 20 years and have never seen it as bad as this, although when I moved in some of the neighbours who had been here a while said there had been a big flood a few years before.”

Tayside Fire & Rescue Service crew manager Robin Marshall said, “The rain going off when it did helped a lot and, although the Burn itself is still very high, it’s running freely and carrying most of the water away.

“The problem is the drainage ditches, which are actually flowing away from the burn and spilling out into a relatively restricted area concentrated on Macdonald Smith Drive. We have two pump units at the scene and they seem to be doing the job.

“What we are trying to do is to get as much of the surface water pumped away from the residential properties before high tide, which is at 1pm today.

“Older residents will maybe remember that 28 years ago there was a major flood in Carnoustie when the Barry Burn burst its banks and around 100 homes in the Ravensby Road and James Street area were quite badly affected.

“In response to that incident, the Barry Burn was dredged out and the banks built up and since then there has been no repetition of problems on that scale.

“On this occasion the situation has arisen simply due to the very heavy overnight rain and, as the forecast is for a couple of days respite, hopefully things will now get back to normal.

“I have been very impressed with the way the local residents have handled this situation and also the prompt response from Angus Council.”

In Cupar crowds gathered at the foot of Lady Wynd to witness the spectacular scenes caused by the Lady Burn bursting its banks.

Homes in the Burnside area and Skinners Steps were flooded and residents evacuated.

One bystander, Craig Halley (18), of nearby Houston Court, told how he saw an elderly man being rescued from his home. He said, “I saw him being carried out. When they brought him outside the water was up to his chest and they had to hold him up high. I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve stayed here all my life.”

Graeme Gillon, from the town’s Newton, said when he had come past at 7am there was little more than puddles but he added, “When I came back at around 8.30 I couldn’t get through. It was pandemonium.”

St Andrews motorist Alistair Norry’s Landrover got stuck at 7am when the water was only about a foot deep.

He said at one point the water was up to his waist. It was midday before he was able to start his vehicle again and shift it. The Burnside Hotel was flooded by about three feet of water and had to close as the electricity supply has been shut off in the area.

Landlady Elizabeth Strachan said, “There will be no business in here today. When I came down around 9.40am you couldn’t get along Burnside at all.”

Fife Fire & Rescue Service crew manager Andrew Mill remained on stand-by as the water receded later in the morning. He said, “The whole road was awash. There was about three feet of water in Lady Wynd. There’s a grate at the top end of the burn and, with the amount of water and debris that has landed on it, the water has backed up and come over the wall.”

He also said that Scotland Gas Network was called out at one point due to a smell of gas but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Cupar, Freuchie and Ladybank were worst affected by the floods but homes in St Andrews and Balmalcolm were also affected. People reported doors bursting open with the force of water.

In Freuchie, it is understood around a dozen homes in the Freuchie Mill area were flooded and cars submerged. Scottish Power were called in to isolate the electricity supply and traffic lights were out, causing lengthy tailbacks for motorists.

Roads were also been badly affected, with the A92 closed between Rathillet and Parbroath. Others closed were the A915 between Upper Largo and Largoward, the A917 at Shell Bay, the B942 west of Colinsburgh, the C20 between Freuchie and Kingskettle, the C23 between Freuchie and Cadgers Brae, the C31 Stratheden to Cupar road, the C45 between Dairsie and Pitscottie and Auchtermuchty High Road.

The heavy overnight rain took its toll on the road network in central Fife also with the region’s main trunk road closed in places in and around Glenrothes.

Motorists faced lengthy delays and diversions as the A92 in Glenrothes was closed northbound between the Preston roundabout and the New Inn roundabout, making it difficult for drivers who wished to travel towards Dundee and Cupar areas.

The B969 Western Avenue in the north of the town was also closed both ways, between its junction with the A92 and Pitcairn Avenue, while police said the B9130 through Thornton was “just passable”.