Residents in a tiny north-east fishing village were forced to flee their homes yesterday as it was swamped by a flood.
Properties at Pitullie were caught in a torrent after a build-up of water in ditches behind the village caused them to burst their banks.
One homeowner described waking up to “rivers” of rain pouring down from the open ground to the south of the small coastal community.
The home of Obby Ronsberg, at the west end of High Street, was among the worst affected.
He woke up at 4am to find his lounge filling with muddy water and his sofa floating around the room.
The south-facing living room is on a lower level than the garden behind it and when the ditches in the nearby field burst their banks, there was little that could be done for Mr Ronsberg’s home.
Within hours the flood water was more than 5ft deep and had destroyed possessions worth several thousand pounds, including furniture, a laptop and a surround-sound system.
Mr Ronsberg fled his home and called his future son-in-law Shane Stephen for help.
Speaking at the house last night, Mr Stephen said: “It was up to my neck when I arrived but thanks to the pump it’s gone down.
“Everything was floating, including the laminate floorboards. We rescued what we could but the electronics are ruined.”
Mr Ronsberg added: “I’ve got no heating or anything. I’ll go and stay with my partner. I won’t be able to be here for a while.”
When the flood hit Pitullie, which neighbours the village of Sandhaven, the local community rallied round to gather sandbags and water pumps to prevent further damage.
Many residents barricaded their homes with sandbags, wood and stones and sought shelter with friends and relatives.
Council workers waded through the waters – in places waist deep – to open blocked drain covers
Mr Ronsberg and his neighbour James Meadows were using water pumps late into the night in an effort to clear their properties.
Mr Meadows, who moved to Pitullie only a year ago, said: “The ditches in the park have been swamped and are coming down like rivers.
“Me and Obby are getting the worst of it because we’re the lowest down.”
He said that he was forced to scrounge as many pumps and pipes as possible to battle the rising water.
Mr Meadows even bought a garden pond pump from a nearby DIY store to protect his home.
“This is our first year here. We’re just praying it doesn’t get any worse,” he added.
At times Sandhaven and Pitullie were entirely cut off from neighbouring settlements as standing water blocked the narrow B9031 Fraserburgh-Rosehearty route.
Michelle Bolt, a member of Rosehearty Community Council, said the situation had been made worse by vehicles trying to drive through the floods and washing water into neighbouring homes.
She added: “I’m 40 years old and have never ever seen the likes.
“Rosehearty is now pretty much cut off – the main routes are closed and country routes are very treacherous. And still it pours.
“It’s such a shame, small communities are often forgotten about in these circumstances.”