Kirkcudbright business owners are raging after their premises were flooded out TWICE in a week.
Printers XOXO Ltd, Harbour Beauty Studio and Woodstock Interiors were all swamped after torrential rain.
The Beaconsfield Place firms were inundated on August 5 and again on Saturday after a storm drain burst open.
Harbour Beauty salon proprietor Annette Russell said: “Honest to God, within 20 minutes we were trapped in the salon and could not get out.
“It was like something out of a Carry On film.
“We managed to get everything up we could then we called out Kirkcudbright fire brigade.
“But their pumps were not enough and they had to get Gatehouse out as well.
“Then, there was another downpour at 2pm and we had to call them out again.”
Annette, 47, added: “Three businesses have been badly affected by this.
“There’s nine of us in here – that’s nine livelihoods depending on us not getting flooded out.
“Our insurers have been absolutely brilliant.
“But what happens if we get flooded again? Will we still be able to get insurance?”
The salon lost “a lot of business and equipment” including carpets, display cabinets and massage beds.
Annette said: “We would not have been flooded the second time if Scottish Water had acted sooner.
“If they had looked after their sewerage system this would not have happened.
“I’d urge them to please fix the problem and give me and the community peace of mind.”
Woodstock Interiors lost a wooden floor, MDF and plywood sheets, and seasoned elm and yew for furniture–making. Owner Ian Cameron Smith said: “My floor is completely knackered.
“The water that came in was a mixture of water and sewage.
“We had sandbags up but the water still managed to get through them.
“There must be a chemical in it because it dissolved the fabric of my floor.
“There’s a big storm drain beside the building which overflows when the system backs up – and we are the lowest point in the town.
“They found two blockages between here and the sewage works. Every night we are having to lift everything up just in case.
“This is a serious issue and Scottish Water needs to get this sorted.”
Annette paid tribute to the emergency services and the local community for their support.
She said: “They were wonderful. So were local people – Snak Attack sent in bacon rolls and folk sent in home made cakes.
“The response was unbelievable and it makes you feel really humble.
“We are lucky to be part of a community like this.”
A Scottish Water spokesman said: “Following recent flooding at Beaconsfield Place our sewer response team had a contractor on site to conduct a full clean-up of the properties affected.
“At this time, it was thought that there may have been a blockage, but after further inspection it looks to have been due to the extreme weather and unusually heavy rainfall which meant storm drains were overwhelmed and led to the flooding.
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