Council could have been faster, says businessman

Investigation into pump failure in Perth is under way

Flood and snow warnings remain in place for parts of Tayside and Fife as the area counts the cost of last week’s unprecedented storms.

Despite the weather settling over the weekend people have been urged to stay prepared with more rain and wind forecast this week.

The Met Office issued a flood warning for parts of Perthshire and Angus and said heavy rain could also cause problems on the west coast.

A spokesman said: “There will also be some snow at times on higher ground, with accumulations of 2cm to 5cm on ground above about 200m to 300m.”

David Henderson, 57, who runs The Townhouse on Perth’s Marshall Place, was yesterday clearing his property after floods left raw sewage in his basement apartment.

Perth and Kinross Council said a power failure at the South Inch reservoir pump, run by Scottish Water, had contributed to the flooding.

Mr Henderson claimed action should have been quicker.

“There was a similar scenario around three months ago when I woke up and heard the drains gurgling,” he said.

“So the council should have already known about it.

“What is the point in having flood defences if this back-up pump doesn’t work?”

“We’ve not had a day off in four years, I recently got married and thought we’d have some money left at the start of this year but now we have to get surveyors in and the apartment is stinking – it’s depressing.”

A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council confirmed the ‘back-up’ pump is run by Scottish Water and that an investigation is being carried out.

Meanwhile, schools across Perth and Kinross and Angus that were shut by flooding are expected to be open today.

Several roads in Angus remained closed yesterday as council officers continued to assess the dangers as a result of flood water.

A council spokesman said: “We are asking people to please observe closure signage, even if conditions seem better, while flood damage is assessed.

“There is still a great deal of work to be done and this work is being prioritised – please bear with us.”

The council distributed around 3,800 sandbags during the extreme weather.

They are advising that these will not be collected so they should be disposed of in gardens or at a recycling centre.

David Henderson runs The Townhouse on Marshall Place.