Courier country was besieged by a combination of snow, heavy rain, high tides and gale-force winds yesterday, causing havoc to both motorists and householders — with more disruption to come today.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning 10 lorries were stranded on the M90 in Perthshire for several hours as snow, rain and strong winds made driving conditions hazardous on the Perth to Edinburgh dual carriageway.
And further north more than 1000 homes in the Mearns were left without power for around seven hours.
Heavy snowfall overnight brought down overhead power lines on the Garvock Hill, which lies between St Cyrus and Laurencekirk.
St Cyrus was completely cut off from 4am until mid-morning, along with a wide surrounding area.
A total of 20,000 homes were left without power in central and southern Scotland, ScottishPower said.
And late last night, the usually pretty Fife seafront at Kinghorn was a scene of devastation in the wake of the storm which saw houses flooded, caravans washed into the sea and even the local lifeboat put out of action.BatteredOne local described conditions as the worst she’d ever seen, but it will be later today before the full extent of the damage is known.
Houses along the seafront at Kinghorn harbour were battered by the wind and waves and one seaside property is understood to have been under four feet of water.
At the nearby holiday park, part of the retaining sea wall collapsed and two caravans are believed to have been washed into the water.
Another caravan had partially fallen on to the beach and was badly damaged. All the caravans are understood to have been unoccupied at the time and there were no reports of anyone being hurt.
The huge waves and abnormally high tide, which is estimated to have been around six metres, pounded Kinghorn lifeboat house and damaged the doors so badly that they couldn’t be opened and the lifeboat had to be taken off station.
Liz Davidson of the lifeboat team said that other lifeboats, including Anstruther, were covering until the damage can be fixed.
“The doors are being shored up to try and prevent further damage until we can sort things out,” she said.
She added, “These are the worst conditions I can ever remember.”DamageAt nearby Pettycur Harbour, several boats were damaged and the storm also caused damage to the Fife coastal path near Aberdour and Dalgety Bay.
Meanwhile the high tide and winds caused flooding on Kirkcaldy’s Esplanade and the busy road had to be closed for several hours.
Last night’s football match between Cowdenbeath and Stirling Albion was abandoned after only 18 minutes as heavy snow blanketed the Fife ground.
The lorries that became stranded in Perthshire were travelling south, close to Bridge of Earn, when they got stuck in about three inches of snow. Snow ploughs and gritters were called to the scene at around 2.45am and traffic was moving again within a few hours.
Yesterday morning the road was restricted to one lane south in the area and traffic was moving slowly between junctions six and 11.
Traffic also slowed on the A9 Stirling to Perth road, where slush was causing a problem, particularly at Blackford.DifficultA spokesman for Scottish Hydro-Electric said the Mearns power failure was due to the icing over of the lines in sub-zero temperatures after the heavy snowfall. The conditions also made it difficult for engineers to get access.
He said, “We managed to get around 300 customers reconnected around 6am by rerouting them to another supply, but another 1000 homes were without power until 11am.
“The affected line runs from Logie Pert in Angus over the Garvock Hill and down into St Cyrus.
“Though it was raining on the lower ground at Laurencekirk and St Cyrus, there was around six inches of snow on top of the hill.
“We invest millions every year in the network trying to make it as robust as possible but when the snow turns to ice on the lines that’s when we can still get problems.”
Elsewhere, as heavy rain and winds battered the country, a number of homes were again at risk of flooding.
Near Montrose, one householder hit out at the council for lack of action as he watched the Tayock Burn overflow into the gardens of neighbouring properties, still undergoing renovation after being swamped in November.
Fearing a repeat of the damage, James Durie of Westhouse Cottage on the Brechin Road said, “I am really worried — the water is within two inches of my back wall.
“The people in the four cottages near me were forced out of their homes in November and have had to find alternative accommodation while the houses are being renovated.
“The council came along and were going to build up the bank at the back of the houses but nothing has happened. So far I’ve been lucky, but we need action.”
Flooding was a problem across Fife, with homes in Newburgh narrowly avoiding calamity as one of the highest tides in living memory affected the extensive riverside area.
Gardens backing on to the shorefront along York Place were flooded by the relentless tide which came within inches of entering homes.ProtectRikki Mackie (28) was busy helping his elderly neighbours protect their properties by distributing sandbags throughout the afternoon.
Mr Mackie — who has lived in Newburgh all his life and eight years in his current property — said he had never seen flooding like it.
“At about 2.30pm the water started to flow into the gardens and eventually right up to the steps of homes,” he said.
“The water was so strong it actually burst open the gate at the bottom of the garden when it came in.
“These gardens do flood, probably around once a year, but nothing like on this scale.
At nearby West Shore Road homes also narrowly avoided flooding near Beckett’s Pier.SwampedResident Marilyn Agnes said, “The waters came right up to the step but didn’t get any further, which was a relief.”
Elsewhere along the shoreline boats were swamped, including a 15-foot vessel belonging to local man Bobby Finlay (49).
He travelled to the waterfront yesterday to view the incredible scene.
“It’s quite impressive really,” he said. “My boat is underwater but it’s not going to go anywhere now.
“I will just wait for the tide to go back out,” said Mr Finlay, a service engineer.
Local councillor Andrew Arbuckle said, “I have lived in the area all my life and it is the worst I have ever seen.”
Fearing a repeat of the damage, James Durie of Westhouse Cottage on the Brechin Road said, “I am really worried — the water is within two inches of my back wall.
“The people in the four cottages near me were forced out of their homes in November and have had to find alternative accommodation while the houses are being renovated.
“The council came along and were going to build up the bank at the back of the houses but nothing has happened. So far I’ve been lucky, but we need action.”
Flooding was a problem across Fife, with homes in Newburgh narrowly avoiding calamity as one of the highest tides in living memory affected the extensive riverside area.
Gardens backing on to the shorefront along York Place were flooded by the relentless tide which came within inches of entering homes.ProtectRikki Mackie (28) was busy helping his elderly neighbours protect their properties by distributing sandbags throughout the afternoon.
Mr Mackie — who has lived in Newburgh all his life and eight years in his current property — said he had never seen flooding like it.
“At about 2.30pm the water started to flow into the gardens and eventually right up to the steps of homes,” he said.
“The water was so strong it actually burst open the gate at the bottom of the garden when it came in.
“These gardens do flood, probably around once a year, but nothing like on this scale.
At nearby West Shore Road homes also narrowly avoided flooding near Beckett’s Pier.SwampedResident Marilyn Agnes said, “The waters came right up to the step but didn’t get any further, which was a relief.”
Elsewhere along the shoreline boats were swamped, including a 15-foot vessel belonging to local man Bobby Finlay (49).
He travelled to the waterfront yesterday to view the incredible scene.
“It’s quite impressive really,” he said. “My boat is underwater but it’s not going to go anywhere now.
“I will just wait for the tide to go back out,” said Mr Finlay, a service engineer.
Local councillor Andrew Arbuckle said, “I have lived in the area all my life and it is the worst I have ever seen.”
Fearing a repeat of the damage, James Durie of Westhouse Cottage on the Brechin Road said, “I am really worried — the water is within two inches of my back wall.
“The people in the four cottages near me were forced out of their homes in November and have had to find alternative accommodation while the houses are being renovated.
“The council came along and were going to build up the bank at the back of the houses but nothing has happened. So far I’ve been lucky, but we need action.”
Flooding was a problem across Fife, with homes in Newburgh narrowly avoiding calamity as one of the highest tides in living memory affected the extensive riverside area.
Gardens backing on to the shorefront along York Place were flooded by the relentless tide which came within inches of entering homes.ProtectRikki Mackie (28) was busy helping his elderly neighbours protect their properties by distributing sandbags throughout the afternoon.
Mr Mackie — who has lived in Newburgh all his life and eight years in his current property — said he had never seen flooding like it.
“At about 2.30pm the water started to flow into the gardens and eventually right up to the steps of homes,” he said.
“The water was so strong it actually burst open the gate at the bottom of the garden when it came in.
“These gardens do flood, probably around once a year, but nothing like on this scale.
At nearby West Shore Road homes also narrowly avoided flooding near Beckett’s Pier.SwampedResident Marilyn Agnes said, “The waters came right up to the step but didn’t get any further, which was a relief.”
Elsewhere along the shoreline boats were swamped, including a 15-foot vessel belonging to local man Bobby Finlay (49).
He travelled to the waterfront yesterday to view the incredible scene.
“It’s quite impressive really,” he said. “My boat is underwater but it’s not going to go anywhere now.
“I will just wait for the tide to go back out,” said Mr Finlay, a service engineer.
Local councillor Andrew Arbuckle said, “I have lived in the area all my life and it is the worst I have ever seen.”