Nicola Sturgeon claimed hundreds more homes in Brechin were saved from “dangerous” flooding, following local anger that automatic pumps had failed to turn on.
Families were forced to evacuate their homes when the Angus town was hit with a deluge of rain on November 18.
Concerns were later raised about the town’s flood defences after it emerged two of the three automatic pumps failed to work.
Asked to respond to flood preparation at Holyrood one week later, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted the flood defences were a success – and over 330 homes in Brechin were saved from devastation.
‘Beyond anything Brechin has experienced’
Ms Sturgeon was challenged by North East MSP Tess White who said residents had shared their concerns with her.
She passed on worries about an electrical substation near Inchbare which was left half-submerged in water for days.
Ms Sturgeon said the flood defences “held” despite water levels on the South Esk River being reports as the highest on record.
The first minister said: “It is worth pointing out that had the flood defences not been in place the water would have spread and there would have been potentially dangerous flooding of an estimated 332 properties.
“This is beyond anything yet experienced by Brechin.”
But she conceded the pumps did not work as they should.
She added: “As soon as this was identified a council worker attended and the pumps were successfully started.”
Local resident Chris Maguire earlier told The Courier his teenage daughter had to help the council worker turn the pumps on as they didn’t know how to do it.
He said: “There’s a switchboard and the man didn’t know how to turn it on.
“[My daughter] Inca got him to press a button to get the pump on.
“It took around two hours for the water to clear.
“All they needed to do was arrive with the keys and turn the machine on, something me and my daughter did easily.”
‘Stress’
Ms Sturgeon now says lessons will be learned from the extreme weather that battered Angus in the past week.
She added residents in Brechin who still have concerns should raise this with the Scottish Government so they can be looked into.
Ms White added: “Although the riverside defences held well, this should not minimise the stress caused to the residents of Brechin, who once again had the sandbags out to keep flood water at bay.
“I also talked to people in the Inveresk area, who shared their concerns with me about winter preparedness.
“So it is vital that the Scottish Government works more closely with local councils to test resilience, test the equipment, and share resources while these extreme weather events are still on the horizon.”
Flood-hit Brechin residents voice concerns at council as £16.3million defence pumps ‘not turned on’
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