Residents in Moray’s biggest town were yesterday celebrating an end to years of flooding fears.
The final touches were put to the £86million scheme designed to stop Elgin being swamped when torrential rain hits the region.
Moray Council revealed that the last pieces of engineering to safeguard at-risk properties from rising waters had been put in place.
A footbridge over the town’s Lossie Wynd was officially opened yesterday to mark the milestone and councillors and engineers who oversaw the project gathered at the River Lossie crossing.
Local authority leader Stewart Cree said the massive investment would give residents peace of mind.
He said: “For generations in the town, severe weather has often led to properties becoming flooded.
“People would wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of heavy rain, and panic about whether they would need to be evacuated from their homes, and their house would need months of repair work.
“Now, with this in place, they can just turn over and go back to sleep.”
He added: “It would be unwise to challenge the forces of nature to do their worst, but we have every reason to believe that is no longer a concern.”
The project is Scotland’s largest flood alleviation scheme to date, and the biggest civil engineering project ever undertaken in Moray.
Flooding problems in Elgin date back 250 years, with the most recent severe incidents happening in 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2009.
As the water level rose in 2002, more than 200 households were evacuated and 10 people had to be airlifted to safety.
After a decade of planning, construction on the flood alleviation scheme started in April 2011 – and it was prematurely put through its paces in August when it was only partially completed.
During freak storms caused by Hurricane Bertha the equivalent of 60 days of rain hit Moray in just 24 hours.
But the fledgling works managed to withstand the worst of the barrage, and the 270 homes and 75 businesses which may otherwise have suffered a deluge were protected.
Council convener Allan Wright said: “When you hear of a project of this cost there is an initial intake of breath.
“But we reckon that the damage prevented by the scheme last summer would have cost around £30million – so already it is paying for itself.
“When you consider the devastation, never mind the human misery of the floods, the expense is well worth it.”
Elgin City North councillor Graham Leadbitter said: “You can never underestimate the human impact flooding has had on Elgin, especially on the houses that have been damaged on multiple occasions.”
His fellow ward member, John Divers, added: “I’ve been a part of this project since it was first looked at in 1999, after some horrendous flooding around that time.
“It’s a job that needed to be done, and now many hundreds of homes and businesses will be safe.”
Four other flood alleviation schemes are in progress in Moray, at Forres, Rothes, Findhorn and Lhanbryde.
The new Lossie Wynd footbridge is also designed to provide a safe pedestrian link between the town centre and Bishopmill, avoiding the pavements on the busy A941 Lossiemouth-Rhynie road.
An added benefit of the scheme has been the creation of a safe cycle route through Elgin, which will eventually form a three-mile link between the town and Lhanbryde.