Resident wants answers on work at burn
A Perth resident whose property has been flooded by Craigie Burn bursting its banks at least three times since 2002 is keen for Perth and Kinross Council to take action.
This week Perth and Kinross Council has been removing sediment from Craigie Burn.
Queen’s Avenue resident Charlie Scrim lives right next to Craigie Burn but is concerned the council is not doing enough to reduce the risk of flooding.
In the early hours of August 12, Mr Scrim woke up to discover two feet of water in his garden - his third or fourth flood since 2002.
Following this latest flood he told the PA: “No one will be expecting miracles but we expect something. We need a strategic review.”
On Sunday, August 30 Perth and Kinross Council put an announcement on Facebook that the footpath between the South Inch and Glenearn Road would be closed from August 31 until at least September 4 “to allow for emergency clearance works to be carried out along Craigie Burn.”
The statement said: “The work at the South Inch will involve the removal of sediment left behind as a result of the storms on August 11 and 12.
“It is necessary to close the footpath to ensure public safety.
“After work at the South Inch is completed clearance works will continue at several further locations along the burn, including Windsor Terrace, Balmoral Place, Darnhall Park and at the Dry Pond off Glasgow Road.”
The statement left Mr Scrim with more questions than answers. He said: “I cut and pasted the post and sent it to the council. I asked them when they were doing the work on Balmoral Place, etc. And what does it mean to remove sediment? Does that mean removing the massive boulders near Cherrybank that were washed down? Is that sediment? What is sediment? What about dredging? Why not do it all at once?”
He added: “I do not understand how they are communicating with people. None of my neighbours have heard anything either.”
Mr Scrim is keen to speak to the council to share his experience of living with flooding. He said: “They can’t keep patching things. It’s not going to go away.”
He added: “You go back to 2002, 2011 and 2020 - that’s every 10 years. The law of averages says it is going to happen again.”
Mr Scrim believes an independent expert is needed to provide advice on what needs to be done to tackle the problem.
A spokesperson for PKC said the council had been speaking to residents and added: “But the works were mainly identified as result of our own inspections after the storms.”