Morning Briefing: Lothians on alert as severe weather set to batter area EDINBURGH and the Lothians were placed on amber alert today as forecasters warned of strong winds and heavy rain sweeping in across the area. Drivers were warned to expect some disruption, with the possibility of three inches of rain falling in a 24-hour period. The Forth Road Bridge had a 40mph speed limit and was closed to double-decker buses because of high winds. Heavy, persistent rain and winds were expected across southern Scotland with the Borders, Lothians and Fife, areas forecast to bear the worst of the conditions. Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "In light of the Met Office warning for wind and rain in many parts of the country, our trunk road operating companies have all their resources available, including patrols, and will pre-position resources in areas of special attention. The Traffic Scotland website, Variable Message Signs and Traffic internet radio are being used to provide up to date information to the travelling public, allowing them to plan and amend their journeys accordingly. Our Multi Agency Response Team will be operational until the weather improves. For real time journey information visit www.trafficscotland.org, follow @trafficscotland on Twitter or 0800 028 14 14. Check www.sepa.org.uk for flooding alerts. AS she promised JK Rowling's new novel is defitely for grown-ups only. Days before its official launch, excerpts from her first book in the post-Harry Potter era have begun to emerge online . While the full text of The Casual Vacancy is a closely guarded secret, an American journalist who has read it in the offices of publishers Little, Brown has revealed some of the book's more risqué passages. It's said the new book covers themes including class warfare, prostitution, heroin addiction and teen sexuality.