Anger after flood gates left open on Riverside.

Anger as measures rendered useless during deluge from Storm Ciara

A multi-million-pound flood defence in Dundee was rendered useless after gates were left open at the weekend.

The weekend deluge brought on as Storm Ciara battered the UK left a section of Riverside Drive underwater.

Its near £7 million flood defence scheme was meant to provide a “one-in200-year standard of protection”.

Parked cars near the Bridgeview Station Restaurant were partially submerged and passing cars on Riverside Drive had to battle against water crashing on to the road.

The stretch between the Tay Bridge and the restaurant was worst affected.

A series of gates allow access to the footpath along the river but, when closed, act as a barrier to high tides in the Tay.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for heavy rain and strong winds for the whole of Scotland before the weekend.

There is no suggestion the flood protection would have failed if the gates had been closed. Dundee City Council is investigating after admitting there are “opportunities to improve protocols” for when the gates are closed.

The gates west of the Tay Bridge were closed yesterday, the day after the worst of the flooding.

Further work to extend the flood barriers infrastructure from Bridgeview Station Restaurant to Dundee Airport is due to begin this month.

West End councillor Fraser Macpherson said he was “inundated” with residents getting in touch after seeing the flooding and contacted the council’s design and property department to determine what went wrong.

He said: “They are confident the flood protection is working but the issue is about risk assessment and timing on when the gate is used.

“It’s been a long time since I have had so many constituents contact me in one afternoon.”

Councillor Richard Mccready, who also represents the West End, said: “I want officers to have a good look at this and make sure they are using this expensive piece of infrastructure correctly.

“I hope any lessons that need to be learned are learned.”

A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said: “The incident will be reviewed to find out which procedures have worked and where improvements can be made.”

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It’s been a long time since I have had so many constituents contact me in one afternoon. COUNCILLOR FRASER MACPHERSON

Picture: Gareth Jennings. Rescue services on Riverside Drive during the storm.