Freak flood hits home
Residents of a care home had to be evacuated as the heavens opened and flash floods caused chaos overnight on Sunday.
Fire teams were rallied to help rescue the old folk of Dundonald House Nursing Home as floodwater threatened the building.
A wall of water cascaded down from farm fields on Dundonald Hill into the grounds of the home, seeping into garden rooms and flooding the coffee shop.
A pump was used to clear some of the lying water as staff came in to their work to help. Owners Anne Kerr and Ruth Murdoch also rushed to the scene.
Director of nursing Karen Smith said nobody had encountered anything like it in the 27 years the 88- bed home has operated.
Karen said: “Over a period of about two hours the rain just ran off the hill in a torrent and started seeping into the coffee shop.
“Our main priority was to safeguard the residents. Those in the garden rooms were moved to other accommodation and most have now been able to return.
“The coffee shop had several inches of water and had to be closed on Monday, though it will open again shortly.
“It was a real team effort from everyone to help out. The fire brigade were terrific and our staff all mucked in.”
The worst of the flooding was around Dundonald, Symington and Bogend Toll.
And the A77 had to be shut as a foot of water turned the carriageway into a river.
Everything returned to normal by Monday morning.
Sam Briggs of Ayr police said: “There were numerous incidents of flooding on Sunday night, notably Dundonald and on the the B730 at Muirmill and Dyke Farm at Bogend.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called out just after 7pm.
A spokesman said: “Flooding affected Dundonald, Dreghorn and Kilmarnock.
“Firefighters worked alongside emergency service and local authority partners across several locations, mainly Dundonald, to remove water affecting residential properties.”