ROSYTH families affected by decades of flooding left a public meeting exasperated last week after being told solutions were “years” down the line.

Politicians called for a public meeting after Park Road and surrounding streets were left knee-deep in water on March 6 after a deluge of heavy rain mixed with melting snow.

Park Road Primary School pupils also had to be evacuated from their classrooms with parents hoisting children onto their backs before wading to safety.

Scottish Water representatives told residents that “they were taking this seriously” but it was made clear there was no quick fix. They said they were currently carrying out an integrated catchment study in West Fife – to be completed by 2020 – covering an area of around 80,000 people.

Peter Farrer, chief operating officer at Scottish Water, said the issue was very “complex” and added: “Without the study we do not have the confidence to solve the problem in the future. We might fix something and cause a problem elsewhere. We recognise the timescale is years not months, but we are working on it.”

However, Scottish Water along with Fife Council and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), were criticised for not coming with up with a solution after five decades of flooding in Rosyth.

Councillor Sam Steele explained how she had suffered from the problem herself as a pupil at Park Road Primary in the 1970s. One resident said: “We cannot wait another few years.”

The meeting was also told that Fife Council employees gave members of the public wrong information when flooding hit on March 6.

Another resident said: “I phoned the council at 4am because already the water was coming up and the switchboard told me it was nothing to do with them.

“We kept ringing and it wasn’t until 10am anybody came out. The water was about four feet high in mine and all my neighbours’ gardens. I have been here for four years and this happens at least a few times a year.”

A woman said she was told she would need to go to Fife Council offices if she wanted sandbags.

The council’s Ross Speirs, lead officer on flooding, admitted some of the information given out was wrong and that he would ask “why people are not getting the service they deserve”.

He said they were taking a proactive stance to the issue by putting up flood barriers, clearing out burns and carrying out site visits.

Annabelle Ewing MSP said: “There is no action happening here. There needs to be a review group immediately set up between the three agencies. This should have happened in March. It’s clear communication needs to be better within Fife Council. I do not get the feeling that this is being treated as a priority and it’s being going on for over 40 years now.

“I hope you understand the absolute urgent need to sit down together.”

All three agencies agreed to meet and work out the short-term priorities by the end of May.