Owners of Perth’s Cherrybank Inn could be more than £50,000 out of pocket after the beer garden and car park were destroyed in a flood.
The popular pub, which lies on Glasgow Road, was hit by by a “river” of floodwater during Thursday’s torrential rain.
The water flowed down the hill at the back of the property, washing away garden furniture and covering the car park in mud.
Tables and kegs from the pub were carried down Low Road, with many ending up in neighbours’ gardens.
Cherrybank Inn owner says flooding is ‘worst I’ve ever seen’
Owner Scott Findlay said flood damage is worse than when the business was hit in 2020, which cost £50,000 to repair.
He said: “This is worse than it has ever been.
“We had floods two years ago and in 2002, but I would say this was worse.
“It is frustrating, especially in a business sense.
“We know what we want to do here, what we’re trying to do, but we keep getting knocked by this.
“Having two floods in such a short period of time is hard.”
Despite the flooding, Scott and his staff bounced back quickly and were able to reopen their doors at 12pm on Friday.
He said: “We want to keep a positive mindset.
“We’ve had loads of support on social media, my phone was going mental after I posted the videos.
“We’re a local pub and it’s for the community, which people know.
“At the end of the day, we’re a business and we can bounce back.
“I have a dry home to go back to, my staff have dry homes to go back to – there’s lots of people that won’t.”
Delivery driver’s car destroyed after being submerged in the water
Scott is not the only one whose livelihood was damaged by the flooding.
Delivery driver Peter Martin is currently unable to work after his Honda Civic was half submerged in water while parked at the pub.
The 56-year-old had been given permission to park at the Cherrybank Inn the night before due to a lack of space on his own street.
When the flooding set in the next morning, his car was filled with water which completely destroyed the vehicle.
He said: “The water has gotten into the electrics and it’s not working now.
“When we first got it out of the water I tried to start it.
“It did start for a minute and the window went down, all the lights starting going too.
“After that it just died – now it’ll be off to scrappy heaven.
“I didn’t even realise what was happening until a mate sent me a video on Facebook and said it was my car.
“By that time it was half full of water.”
Peter relied on the vehicle for work, and while he will receive a pay-out from his insurers, he does not know when he’ll be back on the road.
He added: “I’ve had that car for about four and a half years.
“I used to call it my Lamborghini, but I guess it’s not anymore.
“I’ll never get back the money I put into it.
“The whole thing’s a joke, but what can you do?
“If you don’t laugh you’ll greet.”
Perth residents teamed up to fight off flood
In other parts of Perth, residents banded together to fight the floods.
Zoe Irvine, who lives on Windsor Terrace, said her home was protected thanks to the “lovely community spirit” shown by her neighbours, who all stepped in to help one another.
She said: “I live on the ground floor but thankfully a neighbour on the top floor of the block ran down after he saw what was going on.
“Pensioners from Milburn Court sheltered housing were out picking up bricks on the street as the entrance to the home has been completely ripped to shreds.”
“It was my birthday so I had gone out for a coffee this morning in the torrential rain and when I got back at around 10am I couldn’t get across from Queen street to Windsor Terrace.
“That’s when it got really bad – it wasn’t exactly the birthday I had planned.”
Zoe, who has lived in the area for almost five years, said the community was only just recovering from the last flood.
She said: “Two years ago the water came up as far as my front door.
“Walls that were damaged from the last flood were only just repaired in the last six months and some have now fallen down again.”
Conversation