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Dumfries flood protection work to begin in 2026

Getty Images The Whitesands area of Dumfries is deep in flood water with traffic lights halfway covered and a bridge and buildings in the backgroundGetty Images
The Whitesands has flooded more than 200 times since records began

A project to protect a Dumfries street which has been flooded more than 200 times is being targeted to start in the summer of 2026.

It follows extensive ground investigation work on the Whitesands area of the town last summer.

Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) said a "large amount of data" had been gathered and would now be reviewed.

It said the scheme - last priced at £37m - had a target timeline to see a contract awarded by 31 March 2026 with work to begin a few months later.

A BBC Freedom of Information request in 2023 found there had been at least 205 flooding incidents since 1827 - about one a year - in the area.

Attempts to put some kind of flood protection in place date back decades with consultants appointed to look at the situation in the mid-1980s.

A council-backed scheme was eventually approved in 2020 - in the face of some opposition due to cost, visual impact and loss of parking - but Covid delayed its implementation.

That saw the price rise from £25m to £37m and the local authority had to decide whether to take it forward, drop it or look at other options.

It voted narrowly in favour of progressing the plans in October 2023 despite having previously decided not to commit any development funding to the project.

The council said that "invasive ground investigation" had been completed last summer although some equipment remains in place for ongoing data collection.

That will allow assessment of the variability of groundwater levels as well as the influence of rainfall and river levels.

A technical review of the information gathered is to be carried out before taking the scheme forward.

"The target timeline being worked to for the project is the Scottish government deadline for construction contract award by the 31 March 2026, with construction targeted to start summer 2026," said a council spokesman.

"This is subject to completion of the detailed design stage of the project enabling a full business case to be produced, with market-tested costs and delivery timescales for consideration by members towards the end of the year."