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Invergowrie flood victims told risk of repeat is ‘minimal to nil’

Council officers say Invergowrie was hit by a surge of water from a burst embankment during Storm Babet.

Flooded street in Invergowrie, with crew of rescue boat wading through water beside it
Invergowrie residents had to be rescued from their homes during the flooding. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

Invergowrie flooding victims are being told there is close to zero chance of a repeat of the events that brought chaos to their streets during Storm Babet.

Residents had to be rescued from their homes by boat as the village was battered by rain last October.

Perth and Kinross Council bosses have investigated the response.

And they say Invergowrie was hit with a surge of water as a result of a collapsed earth embankment on the Balruddery Burn.

Men in yellow hi-vis gear pointing sat Invergowrie street with cars floating in deep flood water
Houses were swamped and cars written off during the flooding in Invergowie. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

The owner of the land where the mound was located has said there are no plans to rebuild it.

And a new report says: “In the absence of that structure being reinstated, the risk of that same situation occurring in the future is minimal/nil.”

One resident who was rescued from the floodwater in a boat last October says that’s some comfort.

But Lewis Fyall says closer attention needs to be paid to the burn that runs through the village.

“It’s not the first time Invergowrie has flooded,” he said.

“I walked by the burn two or three weeks ago and there was some kind of barrier there and a build-up of water behind it.”

Lewis Fyall and family in rescue boat being led through flooding in Invergowrie
Lewis Fyall and his family were rescued by boat. Image: Perthshire Picture Agency.

Lewis added: “They really need to be looking at that burn for debris.

“There’s still a risk there.”

Invergowrie flooding part of wider Perthshire report

The Invergowrie incident is covered in a new report on Perth and Kinross Council’s response to the flooding which battered the area last October.

Much of the attention has focused on events in Perth on the weekend of October 6-8.

The council’s legal chief Lisa Simson has now admitted it was “wrong” to leave the North Inch floodgates open.

But Invergowrie’s drama came during Storm Babet in the middle of the month.

Submerged cars in Invergowrie street
The flooding in Invergowrie was extreme. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

The report will be considered by the council’s scrutiny and performance committee on Wednesday.

Ms Simpson writes: “A query was also raised as to whether some assurance could be given regarding the flooding in Invergowrie as a result of the Balruddery Burn embankment/causeway failure.

“The committee are advised that the failure of the earth embankment/causeway increased the extent and severity of flooding both locally and in the downstream catchment area which includes Invergowrie.”

Portrait of Lisa Simpson smiling in Perth street
Lisa Simpson wrote the report. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson.

She explains the embankment was located across the boundary in the Angus Council area.

It’s likely Sepa would have to issue a licence before it could be reinstated.

But the landowner has confirmed to Angus council officers that there are no plans to rebuild it.

Officers satisfied threat came from embankment build-up

Ms Simpson says: “Officers cannot advise the committee to what degree Invergowrie or other areas would have been flooded had the embankment not existed.

“This is, however, something which residents’ insurers will be looking to determine
when processing claims for damage to property.”

Rescuers carrying stretcher followed by a police officer walking away from flooded Invergowrie street
Scenes from the emergency response to the flooding in Invergowrie. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

She goes on: “From an assurance perspective however, officers are satisfied that the significant threat came from the fact that floodwater was able to build up behind the earth embankment which then gave way, releasing a significant volume of water into the Balruddery Burn in a short period of time.

“In the absence of that structure being reinstated, the risk of that same situation occurring in the future is minimal/nil.”

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