'There was a bit of a waterfall coming in off the path, and that was first time we were like: 'Oh, this is maybe going to get a lot worse'
Last updated 24th Jul 2025
"Just near our entrance there was a bit of a waterfall coming in off the path, and that was first time we were like: 'Oh, this is maybe going to get a lot worse'."
Gordon Nichol, from Newtown St Boswells Bowling Club, recalls the moment their match against Duns had to be abandoned after torrential rain led to flash flooding which swamped their prized green.
He's launched a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of repairs, while the full extent of the damage is assessed.
All games have been put on hold at the Scottish Borders club until the weekend at the earliest, while fitness classes in the neighbouring community centre have also been moved temporarily.
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It's emerged one of the homes flooded in Langlands Place had only just laid new carpets four days earlier.
One resident told us neighbours, frustrated by a lack of support, took it upon themselves to try to clear blocked drains.
But Scottish Borders Council says all flood grilles were checked and cleared in advance of the storm, and that - given so much rain fell so quickly - any further proactive action was "highly unlikely" to have prevented the flooding which occured.
It added all sandbag stores were also checked and replenished as required, while extra resources were deployed on the night to help.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Details of all local sandbag stores are available on the Council’s website. These stores contain a significant quantity of sandbags, but in an event such as that last night these can be used up quickly and whilst all efforts are made to restock or redistribute sandbags to affected areas during a flooding incident, this is not always achievable, especially where the impacts are almost instantaneous, such as last night.
“Roadside gullies are cleared on a two-year cycle, with those at known surface water hotspots cleared annually. Where any issues are reported in the interim, action is taken promptly to clear these gullies.
“An assessment of the damage is taking place today, with a view to understanding those properties affected and considering what, if any, mitigation could be put in place to reduce future flood risk."
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