Sturgeon to outline fresh support for flood-hit areas

Published 9th Jan 2016

Nicola Sturgeon will visit north-east Scotland to outline further support for those affected by the flooding.

The area has been hit by heavy rain, causing severe disruption to travel, the evacuation of homes in some parts of Aberdeenshire and two severe flood warnings for Inverurie and Kintore.

It follows flooding across other parts of the country, including Tayside and the Borders, as a result of Storm Frank.

Scotland's First Minister has been under pressure from opposition parties to spell out what extra funding will be allocated to flood relief.

Dozens of homes were evacuated in Inverurie, Port Elphinstone and Ellon in Aberdeenshire as the swollen River Don sent flood waters racing down the streets on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Water also poured from the River Ythan, prompting the emergency services to mount an operation to rescue residents.

The Donside area, Keith, Huntly, Turriff, Kintore, and parts of Aberdeen were also among those affected by the flooding.

The record water levels on the river left villagers across the area assessing the damage and counting the cost of the clean-up.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it is now expecting river levels to fall gradually, and that there will not be further problems on the scale seen earlier this week.

But a spokesman warned there is still a possibility of residual impacts'' in areas such as Kintore and Inverurie.

Sepa still has some flood alerts and warnings in place, while two severe flood warnings remain in force for Inverurie and Kintore along the River Don.

Aberdeen City Council has urged residents to keep alert, despite the area expecting some respite from the bad weather over the weekend.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for a ministerial statement from Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead, and for clarity on whether Scottish ministers intend to set up a Farming Recovery Fund to help with short-term damage.