An Aberdeenshire MSP has demanded immediate government intervention amid fears flood defences in Ballater may be fatally flawed.
Deeside villagers have raised concerns about plans to rebuild a bank which collapsed during Storm Frank and left homes and businesses swamped.
The bund – built to withstand a one-in-200 year weather event – could not hold back the surging River Dee and a 4ft tide of water rushed through the community late last year.
The bank was built in the 1990s – but the Ballater Flood Group believes a like-for-like replacement may not protect them because of changes to the river channel since Storm Frank at the turn of the year.
Now Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett has demanded action – and has called on the Scottish Government to provide extra funding to “prevent further devastation on Deeside this winter and beyond”.
Mr Burnett said: “There is genuine concern locally that the present system of flood defences is totally inadequate to cope with any further deluge this coming winter.
“I welcome the fact that Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Government have invested significantly in compensation payments and infrastructure repairs across the region.
“The council has also committed to a flood prevention study for Ballater, but that has not started yet and my understanding is that a permanent solution may be several years away.”
Ballater was by far the worst hit among the Aberdeenshire towns during the flooding, with 226 houses flooded per 1,000 population compared to just six in Ellon, where investment in flood prevention has been committed.
The economic impact in Ballater has been an estimated £60million loss in business income, £28million in domestic insurance claims and a drop in property values of between 20%-30%.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said £420million had already been committed to spend on flood defences over the next decade – and that the north-east would receive more than a quarter of this year’s funding.
She added: “It is for local authorities to develop – in consultation with local communities – appropriate flood risk management measures for their area.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman declined to comment.
