Camper vows to learn lessons after family rescued from floods

Weather: Dad to check forecasts more frequently after heavy rain hits

A senior Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) manager whose family was rescued from an island which suddenly appeared as waters rose at a Perthshire beauty spot insists he has learned lessons.

Despite checking river levels and weather forecasts prior to setting out on an Easter weekend camping trip to the Sma’ Glen with his family, John Kenny found they were stranded when water levels unexpectedly rose.

The head of national operations for waste management with Sepa says in future he will check forecasts more frequently after leaving home.

Mr Kenny, who was camping with his wife Gayle and their four children, has stayed at the spot, near the River Almond, before but said he had never seen it turn into an island.

He managed to wade across the sudden stream but after realising that it would be too dangerous for the children, who are aged between 10 and 14, to cross he called in the emergency services.

The 47-year-old said: “It’s a camping spot I’d been to before and before going I always check the river levels and the weather forecast.

“There was no flood or weather warnings issued before I went but the rainfall exceeded what was expected.

“When we arrived the river levels were as expected and we went to bed about 10pm. I got up at 12am to check but when I got up at 6.30am I could see straight away there had been a very significant change.

“I crossed the river myself and got to the other side but we decided it wasn’t safe for the children to get off. They weren’t in immediate danger – the water had a way to go before it came to where they were.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t check. I checked the forecast the night before I went and the morning I went, but I’m going to be checking them again before night falls in future.”

He also praised the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for their reaction to the situation.

“The fire service did a first class job getting them across – very professional. They were fantastic,” he said.

“The kids did some baking and took it into the station to say thank you.”

John Kenny has praised the efforts of Scottish Fire and Rescue after they came to his family’s aid.

Heavy rainfall over the Easter weekend caused the level of the River Almond to rise sharply.