The Queen’s Bridge in Perth will be closed this afternoon amid severe flooding in the region.
All the floodgates on the River Tay will also be closed from 3pm following advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Councillor Peter Barrett told The Courier that the three gates which have remained open in Perth at the Queen’s Bridge, Shore Road and Lower Friarton are to be closed in anticipation of the Tay water levels peaking late on Wednesday afternoon.
He said: “The decision was taken to close the Queen’s Bridge and all the remaining floodgates at Shore Road and Lower Friarton following advice from SEPA that the Tay river level would peak late in the afternoon with the river flow rising in excess of 1500 cubic metres per second – that’s more than 90,000 tonnes of water a minute.
“Efforts have been made to keep traffic moving freely in the city centre for as long as possible but the Queen’s Bridge will close at 3pm.”
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “While forecasts show that rain will ease off this afternoon, run-off from earlier rainfall on the hills is expected to impact on the River Tay in Perth and the River Earn peak at approximately 6pm and stay high for a while.
“We appreciate that the closure of Queen’s Bridge and the floodgates at Lower Friarton and Shore Road will impact on local traffic and businesses. However, we ask for everyone’s patience and understanding while these key points of the Perth Flood Alleviation Scheme are implemented.”
There are also a number of road closures in place across Perth and Kinross. These include the A93 Blairgowrie to Glenshee Road at Dalrulzion Hotel, the A924 Perth Road Pitlochry at the BP filling station, the A827 Logierait to Aberfeldy and Portnacraig bridge (to the theatre) at Pitlochry.
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