A PUBLIC information event will be held to reassure Scone residents after an ageing drainage pipe collapsed in two places, causing gaping holes to appear in the ground.
Stunned Perth Road residents Graham and Monica Winton discovered an eight-foot deep hole under their front porch and driveway shortly before Christmas.
It had been caused by the collapsed barrel drain running, unknown to them, under their property.
A massive hole likened by locals to a meteorite strike also appeared almost 500 metres away in the car park of the Wheel Inn.
The Wintons are currently awaiting advice from their insurance company, while the pub owners, MacLay Inns are negotiating with Perth and Kinross Council.
The exact route of the culvert is unclear, but it is thought to follow the line of Perth Road through the village.
Councillor Lewis Simpson, Scone resident and the council member for Strathmore, has been involved in helping the stricken couple.
He is concerned that businesses and households, as well as other buildings, could yet be affected and is organising the public meeting.
He said: “Having visited the affected sites, I’m appalled by the situation and completely support the local residents in their quest for a resolution to this worrying matter.
“I’ve been aware of a number of problems associated with it over a number of years and have contacted council officers to ensure a public information event is held in Scone in the earliest course.
“A plan of this drain must be made available in order that the many Scone residents who live around it are made fully aware of the present situation.”
Perth and Kinross Council has offered support to the Wintons, but made it clear that, because the collapse was on private land, it was not responsible.
A spokesman said: “Due to the location of the collapses, the responsibility for repairs lies with the affected property owners.
“In the interests of public safety, council staff attended the two incidents to provide assistance if required.
“In addition, we arranged for a camera survey of the barrel drain between the two collapsed sections on December 27, and we will provide the survey results to those affected once these are available, to provide the property owners with the information required for repairing the damage.”
Both the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and Scottish Water have adopted a similar stance, maintaining the matter must be thrashed out with the local authority.
Mr Simpson said that representatives of both Scottish Water and Sepa will be invited to attend the public information meeting.
“I find it impossible to believe it is nothing to do with Scottish Water,” he went on. “What are they for, if not for something like this?”
The barrel drain, made of red clay tiles, may have been directing water through Scone for over a century.
It is thought heavy rain at the end of the year caused too much pressure inside, creating ruptures and quickly stripping away the soil covering it, bringing the surface crashing down.
A 2009 study by Perth and Kinross Council determined that it would be too costly to install flood defences because there would be no financial aid from the Scottish Government.
The cost of potential damage was estimated as less than the cost of building the defences.
arichardson@thecourier.co.uk