A north-east farmer has said it will take years for his land to recover from the horrific flooding that has hit the region.
David Winton and his wife Jane, who own the Haughs of Birse near Aboyne, lost three acres of their land after it was swept away at the height of the severe weather.
Seven of their sheep were also killed in the floods, with more animals still cut off by submerged fields.
There is a further 15 acres of land which cannot be used because stones and other materials have been swept onto the fields.
And while flooding at the farm is an annual occurrence, the couple claim this past week has wreaked nearly seven times more damage than normal.
Last night, Mr Winton estimated the short-term cost of the damage to be in the region of £15,000, but said there was no way to measure the long-term financial impact.
The 47-year-old said: “I don’t think we’re in a much different position from a lot of other people around here.
“We’re waiting for the insurance people to get back to us but, because of the holidays, that’s still to happen.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen it half as bad as this. I mean last week we watched the neighbour’s cows being swept down the river, it’s totally surreal.”
Mr Winton said at its peak on Wednesday, the flood water covered 100 acres of his land, when in an average year he would expect it to affect just 15 acres.
“There’s nothing we can do until the water goes away,” he said.
“My neighbour is still looking for five of his herd.
“It’s probably going to take a couple of years for us to recover, the water running along the ground takes away the nutrients – I don’t think the acres we have lost can be replaced.
“It will take a long time for us to get back what we had.”