People rescued from their flood-hit homes in Perth have praised the emergency services for their help.
Fire crews used boats to free about a dozen people from water-logged properties in and around Marshall Place on Tuesday.
It has emerged that a power failure at a nearby pumping station was behind the flooding.
Emergency services were called to the South Inch area just before 8am when several basement homes and businesses were swamped, wiping out thousands of pounds worth of carpets, furniture and fittings.
David Henderson, whose Townhouse bed and breakfast on Marshall Place was badly hit, said he woke to find his basement home flooded.
“I had checked water levels the night before and everything seemed to be OK, but they rose steadily in the morning. When I got up, the first thing I noticed was the squish, squish noise as I walked across the bedroom.”
He said: “We’re going to have to replace our carpets, but it could have been a lot worse.
“Our guest rooms are upstairs, so fortunately they were OK.”
Mr Henderson said: “We weren’t really prepared for this. I know there was flooding here in the 1990s, but I’ve never seen it like this.
“The fire teams have been absolutely first class though they really saved the day.”
Pete Iannetta said his 80-year-old mother’s basement flat was also submerged.
“I came down the night before to check the road and see that the flood defences were holding.
“It seemed fine, but I put out some sandbags anyway and that helped water ingress from the front. But the pipes underneath the property simply couldn’t cope and the water rose quite suddenly.”
He added: “It could have been a lot worse. You can imagine what it might have been like if the flood defences hadn’t worked.”
Speaking from the scene, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service group manager Fraser Scott said: “We got calls this morning that there was a considerable amount of water coming into Marshall Place. We had appliances mobilised to the houses and it was decided to implement water rescue teams to assist with the evacuation, because of the high levels of water.”
He added: “We’re past high tide and there has been no further water coming in, so we don’t have any more concerns.
“It’s now a case of working with residents and checking properties for any issues with electricity, before making sure its safe for everyone to return to their homes.”
Evacuees were hosed down by their rescuers as part of a decontamination procedure, before getting shelter at the nearby Parklands Hotel.
Because the cells below Perth Sheriff Court were flooded and deemed uninhabitable, court was convened at Police HQ on Barrack Street.