West Fifers count cost of recent flooding

Areas of Rosyth were particularly badly affected with some residents having to be evacuated from their homes by boat last Wednesday evening.

The initial flash flooding was then repeated on Saturday evening when more problems across the region were experienced.

Ferrytoll Road and the A985 were all badly affected along with Craigluscar Road in Dunfermline, which was closed on Saturday evening between the A907 Carnock Road junction and the D10 Drumtuthill Road junction. Parts of Halbeath Road were also closed.

On Saturday evening, Tesco's Duloch store had to close early because of a power cut and the wet weather also saw Valleyfield Community Centre having to be closed because of a leaking roof.

Culross was hit on Saturday evening and fire crews attended to help pump water away from homes and businesses.

Culross Palace had to stay shut on Monday while staff mopped up but a spokesman for the National Trust for Scotland confirmed they were able to re-open on Tuesday.

“Thankfully, Culross has escaped with minimal problems caused by the flooding, which has now subsided," he said. “The electricity supply had been disconnected as a precaution but electricians have been in and given the all-clear.

"A couple of areas on the ground floor – around the kitchen and pantry – remain quite damp and will be closed off to the public for the time being.

“The water didn’t reach the shelves in the shop and so no stock was damaged. The team at Culross have worked hard all day to clear away the mess caused by the water. The forecast looks better for the rest of the week, though with some rain expected, they have obtained sandbags as a precaution.”

The weather also caused problems on the trains with delays on Saturday night after a five-mile-per-hour restriction was put in place because of flooding at Inverkeithing.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue service said two appliances and a water rescue team were used to help families in Park Road and Harley Street last Wednesday.

“A rescue centre was set up by Rosyth Rugby Club," he said. "Crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”

Harley Street resident Hayley-Jade Burt was shocked at the extent of the flooding.

"It was awful. It didn't quite reach me but the street got taped off," she said. "I was up to my knees in water. The people that live in the bungalows in Park Road right next to the primary school, they were getting rescued.

"One woman who was disabled needed to be taken out in a wheelchair and lifted. Cars were trying to get through and people had to push them out."

Fife Council service manager Ross Speirs said Rosyth was the worst-hit part of West Fife and a "small number" of people on Park Road and Harley Street had to be evacuated and housed in temporary accommodation.

"No surface water drains and sewers could have coped with the intensity of the unprecedented intense rainfall, which caused widespread flooding throughout the South Fife area, including Inverkeithing, the M90, Dunfermline, Oakley and Cowdenbeath," he said.

"Area officers worked all night to help minimise the effects. Scottish Water and Fife Council are working together to help householders, tenants and businesses affected. Work to reduce the impact of the weather is ongoing, such as the clearing of the burn behind Park Road."

After the weekend's problems, fellow service manager Bill Liddle added: “Any locations where we had standing water will be revisited and gullies cleaned.

“Any damage, for example to walls and roads, associated with the flooding will now be assessed and dealt with."

Scottish Water said drains and water courses were unable to cope temporarily with the amount of surface water from buildings, footpaths and roadways.

A spokesperson added: "As a result, our teams have been responding to a higher than normal number of incidents of reported sewer flooding across the region. This includes Rosyth, where Scottish Water and Fife Council worked together with emergency services in responding to flooding."