Residents in Aberlour who were deluged with water in a flash flood this month say they have been warning of the dangers for years – and say it’ll happen again without urgent action.
Community facilities were flooded and homes were put at risk following a torrential 40-minute downpour.
Legions of volunteers, including one carrying a seven-month-old baby, were out across the Moray village in an attempt to keep the water from their front doors.
The torrents also flooded the Speyside Visitor Centre and public toilets in the village, which have been closed until further notice.
Many have warned the flood was inevitable without extra maintenance on ditches and drains after a similar event happened in 2021.
Meanwhile, there are fears that similar floods could become more common across the region due to the impact of climate change.
Moray Council says it is working to investigate the issues that caused the flooding.
Garden overwhelmed by rainwater
Alan Souter’s burn in his back garden became a muddy torrent during the flash flooding.
The force of water washed away years of work tending to plants and flowers while depositing mounds of mud, rocks and branches.
The retired Speyside High School geography teacher says grill-covered drains were incapable of coping with the rain due to them being “totally full of silt” due to a lack of maintenance.
And without action he fears his home, where he has stayed since the 1970s, could be under further threat in the years ahead.
He said: “You wouldn’t want to wade through the force of water that was in my garden and hope to survive, you would have been washed away.
“It was a colossal amount of water that came down, but it isn’t the first time it’s happened, it happened two years ago too.
“There have been some other close calls and the flood scheme has just about coped, but it needs to be maintained. I think this will happen more regularly.”
Calls for regular Aberlour drain maintenance
Charlotte Kirkbride joined a squad of 14 residents fighting to keep the water away from their front doors by using whatever they could get their hands on to try and unblock debris-packed drains.
Following the flood in 2021, she and others set up a social media group in the Chapel Terrace and Linn Brae area to share news and press for improvements.
However, two years on, the mother believes little action has been done while residents continue to live in fear of another flood.
She said: “When we raised concerns last time we were just told ‘Here’s six sandbags’, it just kind of felt like we were being told it wouldn’t happen again and we just had to get on with our lives.
“Every time it rains now, we’re worried. The drains and gutters in this area are all full of mud and silt, there’s weeds growing out of them.
“Yes, there was a huge volume of rain, but if the drains were maintained there would be a better chance of them coping with it.”
‘Sobering reminder of power of nature’
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has taken up the calls of residents for extra maintenance of the drainage system from the council.
He said: “I was shocked and sorry to hear about and see the damage caused to private property and local facilities. It is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and extremely upsetting for the residents of Aberlour.
“Given the impact of climate change, many are understandably worried that this kind of freak event will happen more often.
“Many of the residents affected by the flood believe that much of the damage could have been avoided if drains on the hill had been properly cleaned out and maintained.
“They told me that following a similar event two years ago they asked Moray Council to upgrade the flood alleviation scheme and attend to ditches and drainage in the village. Unfortunately, it seems this never happened.”
A Moray Council spokeswoman said: “We’re investigating what happened in Aberlour with the flash flooding and our team will advise on any short and long-term solution once that’s complete.”
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