DRIVEN OUT BY THE WRATH OF DENNIS
Residents forced from homes as country braces for 75mph winds
RESIDENTS were forced to flee their homes as ‘bomb cyclone’ Storm Dennis sparked severe flooding.
Homes in Newcastleton, Roxburghshire, were evacuated and householders forced to stay in hotels after the deluge of rain caused rivers to burst their banks.
It came after a man’s body was discovered in a swollen river in South Wales when the region was placed under a red ‘life-threatening’ weather warning.
The wrath of Storm Dennis is expected to continue into today, lashing the morning rush hour with rain and hurricane-force winds of up to 75mph, amid a yellow Met Office warning for all of Scotland until 11am.
Over the weekend, the heaviest downpours were in the south of the country, where an amber ‘be prepared’ warning was in force.
A couple were rescued after their car was swept off the road by an overflowing river near
Newcastleton late on Saturday night, trapping the vehicle against a farmer’s gate.
As the VW Golf filled with water, firefighters from Carlisle East Fire Station waded into the swirling water to rescue the couple inside.
A specially trained first responder from Longtown, along with fire crews from Dumfries and Carlisle, set up a line rescue system to reach them, then helped them into a waiting ambulance.
It is understood the couple were later discharged from hospital.
In Newcastleton, homes were evacuated and rest centres were set up for displaced residents.
Local resident Shelley Anderson said it was the worst flooding she had ever seen. ‘I’ve been talking to pensioners who have lived here for years and they agree it’s never been this bad,’ she said.
Miss Anderson, 36, works as a barmaid in the village’s Grapes Hotel, where people are being accommodated by Dumfries and Galloway Council after their homes were flooded. She added: ‘I was at home at lunch time and the river did not look too bad. By 4pm, it was pretty high but I took a call at work at 6pm, telling me to get home.
‘The water had come up through the floorboards in the house but I’ve not had it as bad as some.’
The Borders town of Hawick was also badly affected on Saturday night, with several pubs and businesses flooded out.
Worst affected were the streets closest to the Teviot Water, which runs through the centre of town.
A staff member at The Exchange Bar said: ‘Our cellar was flooded earlier. A friend went away and came back with a pump. We have got the level down but I was walking in the town and the water was gushing up through the drains.’
The owner of the Santa Marina Italian restaurant decided to close after watching in horror as the river level rose.
Simone Falcone, 40, said yesterday: ‘We thought it best for the safety of our customers to shut the place and get people home safely.
‘Fortunately, we did not suffer any flooding and we’re back open tonight.’
The transport network continued to suffer major disruption yesterday as Saturday’s rain was replaced by strong winds.
The main A82 was blocked in both directions by a tree which fell on the carriageway between Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston in Inverness-shire.
Major road bridges were subject to restrictions on double-decker buses and high-sided vehicles, services were suspended on the Glasgow Central to Gourock and Wemyss Bay lines, and the Perth to Inverness line remained blocked due to flooding at Inver viaduct.
Ferry services bore the brunt of the cancellations. Social media showed images of a CalMac ferry attempting to dock at Ardrossan on Friday, rocking from side to side as the ship entered port.
John Griffiths, of the Met Office, said: ‘Winds reach their peak around 3am but by 6am or 7am they begin to calm down.
‘The problem is, we don’t know what damage they will have caused during the night. Expect trees down and closed roads.’