Scottish Government urged to 'fast track' flooding scheme for Fife village

Freuchie Mill was badly flooded in August and has had multiple near misses since then, including one at the beginning of February.

Many local residents have raised their experiences and distress caused by the flooding with North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie. Raising the issue with the Scottish Government, Mr Rennie asked whether the government can fast track low cost schemes to avoid further distress for those in Freuchie Mill.

He said: “People in Freuchie Mill are at their wits’ end, and they want action now to prevent any further distress.

“The government has made numerous promises and announced various schemes, but nothing that has yet had an impact to help those who need it urgently.

“With the increase and build-up of snow and ice over winter which will soon melt, it’s only a matter of time before they hit by flooding again which is entirely avoidable if the government simply choose to act now. This is in the government’s control if they simply choose to act on it and I will continue to implore them to do so.”

MSP Ben Macpherson, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, replied: “On funding for Fife in general terms, it is for local authorities to determine the allocation of funding in collaboration with other partners, including the Scottish Government.

"I would encourage Mr Rennie to engage with the local authority on the distribution of its funding for flood prevention and other flooding measures.”

Fife Council co-leaders David Alexander and David Ross announced last week that they hope to spend £5.45 million towards addressing flooding issues across Fife.

They said: “We have all seen the increasing impact of flooding in many of our communities over the past few months. Although we rely on the Scottish Government for the bulk of funding to address flooding, we are proposing to commit an additional £5.45m to tackle this problem.”

Fife MSP Claire Baker has also called for more flexibility within the flood funding provided to local authorities so it can support more local schemes.