North Inch residents' criticise floodgates closure delay

Residents in Perth's North Inch have criticised a delay in closing its floodgates after "devastation" to businesses and properties.

The Bell's Sports Centre as well as basement flats and businesses on Rose Terrace and Charlotte Street were flooded in the weekend downpours.

Fire crews spent Monday morning pumping water from houses as residents tried to salvage their belongings.

A severe flood warning remains in place for the area.

Perth and Kinross Council said it would be reviewing its response to the incident.

It said: "The rainfall overnight on Saturday led to a rapid and near unprecedented rise in water levels of the Tay which led to the North Inch being flooded before gates could be closed."

Local resident Lorna McGovern, who has lived in her home for 22 years, said it was the first time her house had flooded.

She said: "We felt sure the flood defences would work, but unfortunately they didn't close the gate."

Lewis Williams said she woke up to find ankle-deep water in her home on Sunday morning.

She said: "Devastation is what I saw last night.

"And I think the most unfortunate thing is, I understand the council left the floodgates open.

"A really simple thing that could have caused a lot of trouble."

Others on social media condemned the delay to close the floodgates, saying severe weather warnings had been issued last week.

Perthshire North MSP John Swinney said: "From speaking with local residents, there is clearly concern about the closure of the North Inch floodgates.

"It is vital that Perth and Kinross Council address these concerns openly, and provide a full explanation of the situation."

Mid Scotland Fife MSP Murdo Fraser said he had been "inundated" by calls and emails from residents about the flooding and delay in closing the floodgates.

He said: "Most residents in Perth thought they had seen the last of flooding when the council invested in the flood-defence system but this weekend has cast a very dark shadow over the local authority's poor handling of the flood management system."

A Perth & Kinross Council spokesperson said: "We understand how distressing flooding events are for people and this weekend has been extremely challenging for many people.

"According to Sepa, water levels, rose to 4.9m on Sunday morning, near the record level of 4.93m recorded 30 years ago, and more than double the level it was at 24 hours earlier.

"We will be reviewing our response to the incident to see what can be learned for future events.

"We will also be speaking to residents to hear about their experiences to better understand what happened and the impact on them."

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