Heavy rain in Stonehaven has prompted fears that more floods will hit the town after part of it was flooded today.
Barclay Street in the town centre was affected by the rain that has led to weather warnings across large swathes of Scotland.
Major floods have taken place in Stonehaven in 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2012, which resulted in damage to local properties and businesses, with residents being evacuated.
Although the water was cleared by this afternoon, it still had an impact on businesses and residents.
Closed due to flooding again
Nikki’s Cafe Shop and Bistro, which is located in the town’s Market Square, on the edge of Barclay Street, was hit by today’s flooding and it is not the first time that this has happened to the business.
Back in August 2020, the cafe was damaged by floods and had to be closed for nine months and today it was forced shut again due to the heavy rain.
A social media post from the cafe confirmed it would remain closed on Wednesday.
Owner of Nikki’s Cafe, Nikki Howarth said: “I’m not sure how much damage has been done yet. It’s tripped most of my electric again.”
Miss Howarth said the town needs a new drainage system put in place, adding: “That’s why I’m flooded, it’s because the rain and drains can’t cope.”
Stonehaven Flood Prevention Scheme
Muhammed Abid, who owns David Walde’s newsagent in Stonehaven’s Evan Street, was not affected by today’s floods, but said that due to the town’s flood prevention scheme, “it’s hopefully not bad as it used to be.”
The Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme, which started in 2013, is designed to protect homes and businesses which have previously been badly affected by flooding around the River Carron.
Expected to be complete in summer next year, the £15.8 million Aberdeenshire Council project is set to provide a standard of protection above the current insurance requirements and will reduce the flood risk to 372 residential properties across the town.
Solutions to the problem
Despite the funding, some local residents are not happy with the continuous flooding and the worry that the rain brings.
Stan Alexander, who has lived in Stonehaven for 32 years and whose home has been flooded in the past, says that a new drainage system is needed, adding, “The council isn’t doing its job right.”
Jeanette MacDonald, who also lives in the town, takes a different view of the problem, saying: “It was re-drained after the last flooding, it’s just the rubbish is collected in the drain, you never see them (the council) clearing the drains now.”
Will Stonehaven’s Flood Protection Scheme really be finished by summer 2023?
Conversation