Perth floodgates fiasco: Victims still waiting for answers a year on

Perth residents and businesses whose homes and livelihoods were wrecked in last October’s catastrophic flooding say they’re still waiting for a proper explanation a year on.

Dozens of properties along the city’s North Inch were deluged during the weekend of October 7-8 last year.

Blame quickly pointed to Perth and Kinross Council after it emerged that a nearby floodgate had been left open, allowing water from the fast-rising River Tay to spill across the park.

An amber weather warning had been in place as the region was battered with torrential rain.

But the council later admitted there were too few trained staff on duty that weekend to close all of the gates in time.

An interim report in June detailed some of the steps that have been taken to avoid a repeat of the disaster.

These include the purchase of lighter flood barriers which can be closed more quickly in an emergency.

But councillors say they are still waiting for a final report on the incident.

And locals say they have been given no evidence that lessons have been learned – and no confidence that they will be better protected in future.

Perth floodgates failure to blame for damage, say victims

Alan Morgan’s ABC Nursery on Rose Terrace was among those flooded.

Staff and children have spent the last year working around the damage to the basement and substantial repairs to the building.

They have also been working with the council’s early years team to restore the nursery’s rating after it was downgraded by inspectors during the upheaval.

Alan and his team had put the building’s own flood barriers in place when they saw the weather warning last October.

And it still irks him that the council didn’t take the same care.

“The flood happened because the floodgate wasn’t shut,” he said.

“That’s a fact.

“And however you dress it up, this was down to incompetence by someone, or more than one someone, at the council.”

Perth businessman Blain Ross’s nearby property was also flooded.

The St John’s Bar and Restaurant boss has repeatedly called on the council to admit it was negligent.

He says he has made a series of suggestions, including training fire crews to operate the Perth floodgates.

But he claims emails frequently go unanswered.

And as the anniversary dawns, Blain says he no faith in the measures the council has put in place over the last year.

“The interim report was rushed out,” he said.

“And when I’ve tried to engage with the council I’ve got nowhere.

“There’s been no substantive change in the council’s processes. And I have no confidence that it would be handled any better if it happened again this weekend.”

Councillor calls for Perth floodgates facts

Barbara Renton, the Perth and Kinross Council official who managed the fallout from the floodgates fiasco, has since taken early retirement.

She was criticised for a statement in the immediate aftermath of the flooding which appeared to shift blame onto Sepa.

In January she said bosses from Sepa, Scottish Water and SSE had been invited to brief councillors on the roles their organisations played in the drama.

But that session only went ahead in September, more than 11 months after the event.

That meeting also heard details of a £2 million programme of sewer improvements in the area around Bell’s Sports Centre.

The building was badly flood-damaged and slated for the the axe in May.

However, the public are now being consulted on a new plan to re-open it as an unheated sports arena.

The u-turn is due in large part to the Scottish Water works.

But eyebrows were raised after last month’s meeting heard the programme had come as “a surprise” to officers.

Councillor John Duff heads the Conservative opposition on Perth and Kinross Council.

He says it’s “extremely unsatisfactory” that the council has still not completed its investigation into the flooding last October.

“At the time, the SNP administration said it wanted an urgent examination of the facts,” he said.

“A year on, the pain and misery continues and people still don’t have the answers they deserve.

“A clear and transparent account of the details is long overdue.”

Council defends flooding response

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson told The Courier the impact of the October 2023 flooding “remains a key part of the council’s focus going forward”.

They added: “Since last year we have carried out an in-depth assessment of that impact and developed a Severe Weather Improvement Plan.”

This, they said, has been considered in detail by the scrutiny and performance committee at various meetings from November 2023 to June 2024.

“Claims for damage from flooding are being dealt with directly by the council’s insurers,” added the spokesperson.

“And we will provide an update to elected members as soon as we are able to.”

They also pointed to a report which went to the climate change and sustainability committee in August, detailing the council’s severe weather response arrangements.

The spokesperson added: “As previously reported, we are considering whether some of the Perth Flood Scheme gates should be kept permanently closed and the potential for using alternative/additional barrier systems which could positively impact on the time and resources needed in a flooding event.”