Fife householders barricaded their homes and gardens with breeze blocks as flood water threatened to engulf them at the weekend.
Desperate Ballingry residents begged for help as their houses were damaged for the fourth year running.
Filthy water poured down a hill and into Kirktoun Park during Saturday’s torrential rain.
Ballingry Cemetery also flooded, with graveside flowers spotted floating around the grounds.
The sheer extent of the torrent caused a culvert to fail.
And this resulted in a 10-foot-deep sinkhole in the grounds of St Kenneth’s RC Primary School.
Ballingry residents have been calling for action to prevent flooding for years.
And they claim council officers failed to act on several recommendations made in a recent investigation report.
Ballingry woman could not sleep for flooding fears
Kirktoun Park householder Joe McCormack says people have had enough.
“On Saturday the rain was pouring down and we knew what was going to happen,” he said.
“Most of the street had breeze blocks and whatever else they had lying in their gardens, trying to divert water from their houses.
“One lady in the street has been flooded five or six times and she couldn’t go to her bed at night for the worry.
“But my biggest concern was for the bairns sliding down the hill on the water at the school when a 10ft deep hole suddenly appeared in front of them.
“The council have been out now and fenced it off, thankfully.”
People feel abandoned by Fife Council
Ballingry Labour councillor Mary Lockhart said residents were pleading for help as the flooding began.
“I was there when an old man was trying to get in touch with the council to beg for sandbags,” she said.
“After 40 minutes, his hall, living room and bathroom were filling up with water.
“I know the council has been trying to help, and they did come with sandbags.
“But the whole area is really traumatised by this.
“They feel abandoned by the council and people’s reactions are very highly emotional as a result.”
Ballingry was previously hit by severe flooding in 2021, when Navitie Park resident Alexander Wilson waded through water up to his knees in his garden.
And his neighbours Janet and David Jamieson were trapped in their house for a full weekend as they could not reach their gate.
Call for immediate assurance
Mr Lockhart has now written to Fife Council chief executive Ken Gourlay calling for immediate assurance that action will be taken.
Fife Council’s lead flooding consultant Dr Rick Haynes said a repair of the failed culvert was now being arranged.
And a long-term solution to the Ballingry flooding is also being sought.
He said: “The weather at the weekend was acute and unfortunately many areas across Scotland were severely affected.
“Fife Council supplied sandbags, flood pods and reduced water levels using a gully tanker.
“Our resources were stretched due to the large number of calls but we supported multiple locations over the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Fife Council asks residents to do their best to prepare when severe weather is forecast.
And further advice can also be found on the Fife Council website.
Conversation