A Dunkeld man forced out of his home by Storm Gerrit flooding says the damage could have been averted if the town’s drains had been better maintained.
Niall McNab says his house was under 3ft of water at the height of the storm last week.
Firefighters had to rescue his terrier from upstairs after his wife fled the rising tide.
It happened as homes and businesses were swamped by a torrent of flood water that barrelled through the centre of Dunkeld on Wednesday.
Perth and Kinross Council has defended its part in the drama.
It says the flooding was exacerbated by a blocked culvert on the day – and it will be working with a local landowner to prevent it from happening again.
The McNabs’ home on Atholl Street is one of the oldest properties in the town. And its low-lying location made it a sitting target for the water.
It’s likely to be months before the property is habitable again.
The couple are staying with relatives while the damage is assessed.
Mr McNab says the pair are grateful for the help they received, and are counting on their insurance to cover the cost of repairs.
But he insist the disruption could have been avoided.
“This didn’t have to happen,” he said.
“That’s what really hacks me off.
“If the drains had been emptied this wouldn’t have been nearly as bad.”
Could Dunkeld flooding have been prevented?
The centre of Dunkeld was one of the communities hit hardest by Storm Gerrit last Wednesday.
Locals say the Spoutwells burn, to the north of Dunkeld, burst its banks.
It sent a river of filthy, fast-moving water pouring down Atholl Street.
The route was closed to traffic as business premises flooded.
Mr McNab was on his way to Aberdeen to go offshore when his wife called and asked him to return to Dunkeld.
He got back to find the town under water and the ground floor and porch of their home swamped.
“The water was gushing down Atholl Street and into houses and shops,” he said.
“By this time my wife had panicked and run out of the house. Luckily for us she shut the door behind her, but the dog was still upstairs.
“The firemen came and got him out, but there was 3ft of water downstairs by that point.”
Mr McNab said the local community had responded wonderfully.
And he praised fire crews for clearing the drains to allow the water to escape.
But he said most locals believed the impact would have been less devastating if Perth and Kinross Council had maintained its drains more rigorously before the storm hit – and done more to contain the source.
“The council has said its workers stayed up all night keeping the drains free from stones and other stuff,” he said.
“But if they’d been keeping the drains free daily this wouldn’t have happened.
“Yet again, council taxpayers are let down by an administration that only seems to care after the event.”
“It’s not good enough.”
Blocked culvert trapped flood water
Perth and Kinross Council said it understood the distress caused by flooding – and pointed out its crews had responded to incidents across the region, including providing support to drivers stuck on the A9 because of snow.
A spokesperson said: “In Dunkeld, debris from private land had blocked one of our culverts during the storm.
“We have been clearing this to allow the water to run away and will be meeting the landowner to discuss what steps can be taken to prevent this happening again.
“We also provided sandbags and visited on Thursday to help clear up damage from the flood.”
Dunkeld residents were consulted on flood protection measures last year.
The programme included the Spoutwell burn.
The council’s climate change and sustainability committee agreed to take forward the plans in May.
Perth and Kinross Council’s website has information on the support available to victims of flooding, and the measures they can take to protect their homes.
Conversation