Council's full review into Fife flooding which led to major incident being declared

A full report is to be prepared into Fife Council's handling of flood damage.

A summit organised by Councillor Neil Crooks, convener of Kirkcaldy area committee, was held on Friday. It was open to all local members.

It came after Fife Council declared a major incident in response to serious flooding issues across the area late last month.

There was also criticism from local residents over its response to devastating damage, particularly in Cardenden.

The floods also impacted heavily on Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, Burntisland and Auchtertool.

Councillors agreed that a full report into the planning and handling of emergency incidents was needed to deal with major infrastructure weaknesses and inconsistencies.

Valley Gardens, Invertiel , Port Brae in Kirkcaldy, and the Haugh Road area of Burntisland - plus several pinch points in the towns which are prone to regular flooding - will be highlighted in the full report as requiring local action plans.

Amazon warehouse evacuated as police investigate suspicious packageFlood-ravaged Cardenden residents 'feel abandoned' by authorities

Major issues included a lack of gully and burn cleaning in the aftermath of the flood.

Cllr Neil Crooks said there were several issues common to all areas and some specific issues which councillors wanted to highlight.

He said: "All councillors referenced feedback in the community about the lack of gully cleaning, road drains being solid with dirt.

"We accepted that even if they were free running they would not have coped with 12 hours of torrential rain, but more regular or targeted cleaning was a definite request.

"Everyone made a connection between the burns that flow through the area and these being a source of additional flooding, which could maybe be mitigated through a maintenance and clearing programme which most said was non existent.

During the meeting, Scottish Water was highlighted amid concerns of a failure to invest, particularly in east Kirkcaldy, central Kinghorn and east Burntisland where sewage systems are over a century old.

Cllr Crooks said: "We pick up reactive costs in repairing roads and we are asking for clarity on partnership communications on decisions of investment and how much influence we are able to exert on Scottish Water, both in terms of investment and also reaction on the ground."

Problems faced by businesses and individuals in terms of insurance were also discussed, and the council agreed to further investigations to highlight inconsistencies.

Planning for such emergencies was another common comment , and the summit agreed that a review into plans and 'on the ground' delivery of emergency plans was needed.

A full report is now being prepared for all councillors which will be sent to the Strategic Committee to review.

Councillor Altany, Craik, who convenes that committee, is also writing to the Scottish Government to ask for additional funding to help with major incidents such as flooding.

He said "There will be a lessons learned exercise after the initial emergency, but we need a fundamental review of our approach - not just tinkering round the edges.

> Hannah Brown is the Local Democracy Reporter for Fife & Angus

Thank you for reading this story on our website. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspapers - the Fife Free Press, Fife Herald, St Andrews Citizen and East Fife Mail.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper. Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press