Council sinks £19m into tackling flooding over next decade

An investment of £9m over the next three years will also help replace its aging fleet including essential gulley tankers that will keep roads and gulleys clear.

In the last year the council's flooding team has responded to 1905 road drainage enquiries, 180 flooding locations, cleaned 37,000 gullies, 30km of ditches and 21,000 drainage offlets.

Two new gulley tankers have already been purchased as part of the council's fleet replacement programme to help improve reliability and performance. It's now planned to replace the two remaining vehicles thanks to new investment announced at the council's recent budget meeting.

Councillor Jan Wincott, environment spokesperson, said: “Millions of pounds are needed to tackle these problems which are often extremely complex because of land ownership and the different watercourses involved. However, we are working hard to try and alleviate problems in the worst hit areas, and we have invested in a number of flood studies to better understand local issues.

“That’s coupled with the fact that we are also a coastal authority and our coastal communities are also under pressure from erosion and flooding.We are committed to doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of flooding in Fife

“However, with severe weather events becoming more common we have to work together with our communities to get better at planning for them and being prepared for when they happen."