The owner of a centuries-old Cupar pub has called for urgent action to address a flooding problem she says has become a “living nightmare”.
The Cupar Arms Hotel in East Burnside was badly affected by flooding in 2008 and again in 2009, when it closed for six months after sustaining thousands of pounds of damage.
But the pub’s proprietor, Elizabeth McInroy (65), says despite Fife Council investing considerable money to upgrade the drainage system in the Bank Street area after the devastation of 2008/2009, she continues to experience problems.
The most recent deluge to affect her was on Monday May 20, when storm water cascading down Lady Wynd and Bishopgate combined to overwhelm her flood defences and flood her cellar and bottle store.
She raised her concerns with Cupar Community Council on Tuesday night and has told The Courier she wanted Fife Council and Scottish Water to reassess road and drainage issues.
She said: “It was an absolute nightmare a week past Monday. The burn itself was fine but it was a drainage problem and Burnside turned into an absolute river.
“I eventually got my barriers up, which I paid for at my own expense, but because of the contours of the road, the water flowed into the building. My restaurant, cellar and bottle store were all flooded.
“My customers got together and helped me get the water out.”
Mrs McInroy, who has run the pub with her husband Graham for 18 years, said a neighbour had called the council to ask for fresh sandbags but she said they had been reluctant to give her new ones, apparently because of a row over the uplift of old sandbags.
She added: “It’s become a living nightmare for me. There were weather alerts on the radio all day so the council should have been aware of a potential flood risk.
“At the moment in the restaurant I’m housing a pallet of smelly sandbags that no one will take away. I’m living in a desperate plight at the moment.
“I’m worried about climate change making this more common and wondered if the drainage and road contours can be looked at. I effectively live in a basin and I fear it’s going to happen again. This pub is centuries-old but it’s not an ark.”
Cupar community councillor Charlie Anderson said he witnessed the deluge on May 20. He said: “The cumulative effect of water coming down Bishopgate, Bank Street and Lady Wynd created quite a burn on the road. Should there not be some kind of breakwater up Bank Street? It was like two streams coming together.”
Cupar Fife councillor Margaret Kennedy said: “There has been a fair amount of work done in the area over the years. The council resolved the problems with the capacity of the Lady Burn. But the area to the east of Lady Wynd, where the Cupar Arms sits, was not really in the work done previously.”
Cupar Fife councillor Karen Marjoram noted that self-inflating sandbags were available that were easier to store when not in use.
Council service manager Angus Carmichael said: “The nature of the area makes it difficult to manage flood water, some of which is from agricultural land, in extreme conditions. There are, however, sufficient gullies in the area to take normal amounts of water from the road.
“The property owner could take advice on more robust flood prevention measures from the Scottish Flood Forum.
“As a council, we are working with partners to do all we can to alleviate flooding issues across Fife and we are always happy to meet with anyone affected to discuss their concerns.”