Residents of a Perthshire village say they are living in constant fear of storms after their homes were flooded twice in as many months.
People living in Abernethy have seen their properties damaged and one resident narrowly avoided being swept away when floods hit their village again on Friday.
Two nearby burns, Nethy Burn and Ballo Burn, burst their banks following the heavy rain, causing fast-flowing water to pour through the centre of Abernethy, breaking pavements and leaving sludge and debris in its wake.
Residents who have seen their homes damaged again, just nine weeks after the last flood, now face Christmas in temporary accommodation.
They were forced to take drastic action on Friday, as water poured through Main Street.
One resident of the street, Bob Cuthbert, watched as floodwater destroyed his furniture, boiler and garden.
The 43-year-old felt he had no choice but to let water pass through his garden as trying to divert it would have pushed it towards Abernethy Primary School.
His home previously flooded in September, forcing him and his family move into temporary accommodation nearby.
They had been hoping to return before Christmas but this has been delayed due to the second flood.
Bob says the water was flowing so fast that it almost swept away his neighbour who was helping barricade his house at the time.
He said: “We are now a community living in fear every day.
“We are living in fear of when our properties and belongings are going to be damaged.
“We are living in fear of someone being seriously injured or killed.”
Bob says he and other Abernethy residents are scared to go to work in heavy rain, as they will not be around to protect their properties from flooding.
He called on Perth and Kinross Council to do more to protect the area.
He also urged the authority to act faster, saying it was too slow to start the clean-up last time.
Bob said: “The village’s roads and footpaths have been left covered in sludge.
“Main Street is a route to school so it’s really dangerous and an accident waiting to happen.
“When contacting the council about sandbags I was told it’s a resident’s own responsibility to prevent flooding.
“The council is no help whatsoever and are behind the times.
“It seems like they don’t want to take responsibility.”
He added: “We need help and support.
“We need long-term solutions. We want the council to take action.”
A Perth & Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We understand how distressing flooding incidents can be and the council is doing what it can to manage the risk of flooding.
“Unfortunately, exceptional weather events are happening more often, and flooding is having increasing impact and effect across the whole country.
“Many communities in Perth & Kinross were affected by the widespread flooding on November 18. Investigations are continuing but thankfully very few reports of flooded properties have been received so far.
When there is widespread flooding, we must prioritise according to need and the availability of resources.
Perth and Kinross Council
“During flooding incidents our staff are out working hard to keep roads safe and open. While land and property owners are primarily responsible for managing flood risk, we do try to assist when properties are at imminent risk of flooding.
“The council also clears up flood debris from footpaths and roads, and assists in the dispersal of flood water, but when there is widespread flooding, we must prioritise according to need and the availability of resources.
‘Few calls received’
“In Abernethy, the council received very few calls from residents at the time of the flooding last week or in September.
“The mud that the flooding from surrounding fields washed onto roads has been removed. Officers from the council’s flooding team continue to investigate Friday’s flooding.
“The council’s approach to flooding is set out in its published flood risk management plans. At present the council has no plans for infrastructure improvements in Abernethy as this area is not at as high a risk as other priority areas.
“However, the plans set out the actions that public authorities, residents and businesses can take to manage flood risk. Among the actions set out, the council inspects and maintains watercourses and road drainage in the area to alleviate the risk of flooding.
“The council also advises residents to sign up for SEPA flood alerts and to take steps to protect their own properties.
“Any residents concerned by flooding should contact the council on flood@pkc.gov.uk.”
Conversation