Homeowners affected by a dramatic Perthshire deluge have hit out after they were invited to attend a “comedy” about flooding.
Both Neighbourhood Watch Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) have apologised after they sent out the invitation to “Rapid Departure”.
They have admitted the “insensitive” tone of the email could have caused distress for some householders.
An “immersive” comedy by Right Lines who “always make a drama out of a crisis” is how the play is described.
The “offensive” email was entitled “Flood drama back by popular demand”.
It said: “A freak flood has washed through the area and the locals are guided to the safety of the village hall, the designated emergency rest centre.
“In this immersive comedy, our five characters are desperately trying to keep their heads above water as the emergency plan is swept away before their very eyes.”
A flood-affected Alyth resident saw the email and contacted The Courier to express her disgust.
“We suffered terrible flooding up here in Alyth and to put a message out about this play was out of order,” she said.
James Robson, 46, also from Alyth, added: “This is an utter disgrace and should not have been allowed to happen. Why would these organisations release this email at this time?”
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland later admitted the “tone” of the email was “inappropriate” and admitted it was insensitive to some residents in Perthshire.
A spokesman said: “Given what some people have experienced with flooding, I recognise its tone was inappropriate.
“Though the message read like a paid advertisement, we were not paid to post it and were sending it out on the bequest of one of our partner organisations.”
He continued: “I had been given assurances that the play was both sensitive and of interest to those in flood hit areas. However, following a number of responses to this alert, I now recognise that it was not.
“Furthermore, by copying and pasting the information provided, the message failed to convey any sensitivity.
“Going forward we can assure people that messages will be sensitive to the experiences of local communities in a way that this message was not.”
A SEPA spokesman said: “SEPA supports this play as we believe it promotes flood preparedness in a friendly and engaging manner.
“We recognised that this topic is very sensitive in many areas. As a result, we requested that the production company withdraw some performances from their schedule.
“It was intended that advertising material should be restricted in distribution so as not to cause offence to those who have been affected by flooding. Clearly promoting the performance through Neighbourhood Watch has resulted in the advertising reaching a broader audience than was intended, and we can only apologise for any distress caused.”