Organisations across the north of Scotland have been left counting the costs of flooding and landslips caused by torrential rain.
Transport routes were blocked by waterlogged roads and “tonnes” of fallen debris, while major events were called off over safety fears at the weekend.
More downpours are expected over the coming days, with further weather warnings announced by forecasters.
Football fears
Turriff United staff found their pitch under several feet of water on Saturday morning, with torrents gushing into the ground from nearby burns.
While the waters began subsiding yesterday, they left a thick coating of mud in their wake.
And the club’s chairman, George Manson, fears it could be several weeks before football can again be played at The Haughs, as they are being left at the mercy of the upcoming weather.
Just two Highland League fixtures went ahead at the weekend, with the others defeated by a combination of waterlogged pitches and, in the case of Strathspey Thistle v Rothes, a snowbound pitch.
Keith’s clash with Nairn County was postponed with some of the away side’s players in self-isolation.
Mr Manson said of the The Haughs: “Until the water goes away we can’t start our tidying-up operation. We have to just let it all dry out.”
“We’ll need to power-wash all the seats – not that we can use them at the moment – and there’s all manner of debris and stuff that’s been moved by the force of the water.
“We hope the pitch will recover in time for our game with Strathspey Thistle on the 19th.
“We’re due an under-20s teams that week too, but I imagine that may come too quickly.
“Fortunately, no water got into the buildings.
“We have experienced flooding in the past and we’ve become used to it, but it is disappointing.
Mr Manson thanked the team’s “excellent” grounds-keeping staff for their efforts maintaining the surface and repairing the damage in the face of bad weather.
He added: “There is an issue with the two burns at either side of our pitch.
“Further up, where they are quite close together, one of them has burst its banks and is flowing into the other one.
“That’s sending more water down the back of our building than normal, but I believe the landowners are in discussions about this.”
Transport chaos
Warnings of heavy rain were in place for much of the north-east over Saturday, and followed similar cautions for snow earlier in the week.
Another is in place for the Highlands and north-east through to Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) told residents in Strathglass, Speyside, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the Borders to be prepared for
potential flooding.
The poor weather led to several landslips, blocking key transport routes.
Police advised the A831 Beauly to Cannich road was blocked at Glassburn, with trees and mud tumbling onto the already-flooded carriageway.
Similar scenes were seen at Huntly, where geotechnical engineers found “several tonnes” of debris on the train line between Inverurie and Elgin.
It forced staff to work through the night to clear the rails in time for Sunday morning’s services.
Engineers were also required in Livingstone to pump away floodwater blocking the lines between Helensburgh Central and Edinburgh.
Weather cancelled festive charity event
The weekend’s adverse weather also led to the cancellation of a fundraising paddleboarding session that would have involved 60 Father Christmases.
Greyhope Bay in Aberdeen organised the Santa SUP (Stand Up Paddle) on the River Dee to raise funds for the new wildlife visitor attraction at Torry Battery, which is due to open its first phase next year.
But high water levels and strong currents forced the organisers – including Scot Surf, Aberdeen Boat Club and Aberdeen SUP – to postpone Saturday’s event.
In a post online, a spokeswoman said: “It is with a heavy heart that we’re making the call to cancel today’s paddle.
“The river level and speed are far too high today for safety and all river activities have been cancelled as the river is expected to rise throughout the day with possible debris coming from inland.”
It is hoped the paddle, with Santas travelling from Garthdee to Aberdeen Boat Club in waves of 20, can be rescheduled for Saturday.
