Peebles residents join forces with Council to fight floods
Wednesday, June 7 2006
A group of local people in Peebles has joined forces with Scottish Borders Council to protect their homes from flooding.
The initiative follows a meeting last autumn by local Councillors Catriona Bhatia and Nancy Norman at which SBC's Emergency Planning team demonstrated products which householders could use to keep out flood water.
The Peebles residents, who live in and around Tweed Avenue, have set up a community flood response group, the first of its kind in the Borders, to work in partnership with the Council.
The group accepts that, at times of flooding, Council resources and staff are often stretched to the limits in responding to calls for assistance and that local people need to take steps to protect their properties themselves.
Councillor Bhatia said, "Tony Botham, a resident of Tweed Avenue, asked if SBC could provide flood gates in place of the sand bags currently used, and this has resulted in this joint venture. I am sure this positive action by local people will help greatly when it is tested in a real flood.
"While the Council provides emergency assistance during flooding, householders in this area of Peebles have taken heed of the fact that residents need to put in place measures to protect their properties."
The group will receive notification of any flood warning via the Council's automated message system. Group members will then start monitoring rising river levels and when a predetermined level is reached, the flood gates, which are stored nearby and are accessible to all members of the flood response group, will be deployed.
The one-metre-high gates, made of metal covered with water resistant fabric take approximately 15 minutes to put up.
Unified Solutions.