A row has broken out over whether beavers are partly to blame for exacerbating Friday’s devastating flood in Alyth.
The Scottish Association for Country Sports (SACS) said several members have contacted them claiming debris washed through the town showed clear signs of having been chewed by the aquatic rodents.
Others have claimed that felled trees left lying in a bid to encourage biodiversity also aggravated the raging torrent.
However, beaver supporters have leapt to the animals’ defence, refuting claims that material from dams upstream of the town were brought down by the floodwater.
Alex Stoddart, director of SACS, said several members had reported seeing wood in the Alyth Burn which bore tooth marks from beavers.
He said: “We have been told by residents that there are clear beaver marks.
“SACS is concerned by reports from local residents and members affected by the flooding, that beaver lodge material may have been an exacerbating factor.
“From our knowledge of Canada and Europe, they can have an effect on flooding but if they had an effect on Alyth is not known.
“Beavers are spreading throughout Scotland and, as much as they can have environmental benefits, they now play an increasing, but largely unknown role in local flood and water catchment management. The issue for us is not the beavers themselves, but whether local residents have been fully consulted about a reintroduction, and the legality of unlicensed species reintroduction.”
Paul Ramsay, who owns the Bamff estate where some beavers live, said it was a “ridiculous exaggeration” to blame the animals.
He said: “There could conceivably have been a twig or two that had come from beavers, I wouldn’t deny that was a possibility, but the catchment area of the Alyth Burn covers about 36 sq km.
“The contribution from Bamff to that is tiny.
“As for the debris, as the water flowed down through the Den of Alyth it picked up an enormous amount of wood. It is exaggerated out of all proportion.”