A Brechin park sign washed away in the torrent of the River South Esk has been recovered miles away on a popular Angus beach.
But a litter squad at Lunan Bay were astonished to discover the Inch Park information board had survived its journey completely intact.
The playpark was directly in the path of the swollen River South Esk.
It hit unprecedented levels during Storm Babet, breaching the town’s £16 million flood defences.
Hundreds of people in the River Street area of the town were left homeless.
Many were rescued by boat in the early hours after refusing to leave their homes on the night of Thursday October 19.
The floodwaters swept all in their path – including the Inch Park sign.
It was carried around nine miles down to Montrose and out of the mouth of the river into the North Sea.
The sign eventually washed up on the coast at Corbie, a couple of miles south of Lunan Bay.
Beach volunteer Richard Walker found it during a weekend clean-up.
It has now been collected by Angus Council.
Park plans in pipeline
But it could be a long time before it is restored in the playpark as the full extent of Storm Babet’s Brechin damage is still being assessed.
There are fears some of the worst-hit River Street homes will never be re-occupied.
Inch Park was significantly upgraded around the time of the flood protection project.
And it has been the focus of redevelopment plans after Brechin was selected as one of two Scottish towns to take part in a new tourism initiative.
In 2022, Brechin Community Led Tourism received funding for the pilot alongside Girvan in Ayrshire.
It held a community consultation event this spring.
BCLT produced a blueprint for the future which includes plans for a skatepark, splash zone and re-use of the former leisure centre.
Conversation