Two Premiership games postponed as SPFL monitor conditions ahead of Rangers-Hibs, Hearts-Celtic and other weekend matches

Two cinch Premiership matches are among six Scottish league games which have been postponed amid severe weather warnings.

Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to face St Johnstone have fallen foul of Storm Babet. The news came after a second person died in Angus as a result of the storm, which has brought floods and high winds, and after warnings of a risk to life were extended to all day Saturday as more heavy rain is forecast.

The Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off. Cove Rangers against Montrose has been postponed along with two games in League 2 – Elgin v Forfar and Stenhousemuir v Peterhead. The games all involve teams in the north east of the country and Perth and were all due to take place on Saturday.

The Scottish Professional Football League called off the games on safety grounds following discussions with police, clubs and other authorities with people being advised not to travel in large areas of the country. SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie said: “We have been in close contact with Police Scotland and our clubs and it’s clear that we continue to face very severe weather, particularly in the North East, in the coming days. We never postpone any matches lightly, but our discussions with the emergency services left us in no doubt that this was the correct decision.”

Severe weather has battered parts of Scotland over the past 24 hours.

The SPFL added that it would continue to monitor the situation involving the remaining fixtures across the country. In the Premiership on Saturday Rangers take on Hibs, Kilmarnock host Livingston and Ross County take on St Mirren, while on Sunday, Hearts host Celtic at Tynecastle.

St Johnstone had told supporters their game was going ahead as it stood less than three hours before the wider decision was taken. A club statement early on Friday afternoon said: “Whilst heavy rain has affected the local area, our dedicated ground staff and officials have been working tirelessly to ensure the pitch is in optimal condition, and we’ve taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both players and spectators.”