Strathaven identified as 'vulnerable' due to ongoing flooding

Strathaven has been identified as a ‘potentially vulnerable area’ because of repeated instances of flooding.

Residents in the town have been left to negotiate difficult living conditions for weeks now, with the Powmillon bursting its banks.

That has spread onto the park and Allison Green, covering much of the town’s beautiful greenery in deep water.

And the water has also spilled over onto roads and paths, causing damage and widespread disruption.

Now the council’s head of roads has identified the town as a problem area in line with the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act.

Gordon Mackay said the local authority had been “dealing with issues of flooding” across the authority.

Water from the fields and Powmillon have left roads submerged, with town centre roads faring just as badly (East Kilbride News)

He told the News: “In Strathaven, our focus has been at Threestanes Road and the Colinhill Grange housing development.

“At Threestanes Road debris which washed into a culvert, led to a blockage and subsequent flooding in Threestanes Road, Strathaven Park, the boating pond and the adjacent bowling green.

“Council teams deployed pumps to help drain away the floodwater, and carried out emergency excavation works in the park area to remove the debris.

The water has spilled over onto roads and paths, causing damage and widespread disruption (East Kilbride News)

“Officers are also investigating the flooding issues in the Colinhill Grange development and liaising with the housing developer to reduce the risk of any future issues.”

Earlier this month, the Met Office confirmed that February was the wettest on record, with the average rainfall for the month 202.1mm – that beat the February 1990 figure of 193.4mm.

Large swathes of the country were hit by flooding when Storm Ciara, Storm Dennis and Storm Jorge struck the UK.

And the record rainfall submerged communities across South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire.

The Met Office confirmed that February was the wettest on record (East Kilbride News)

But shocking pictures sentin by Les Hoggan in Strathaven, showed the impact of the deluge on that community, covering the bowling green and putting greens with water.

The town’s pond in the park has been drained for some months to allow cleaning which helped reduce the impact.

A spokeswoman for SEPA confirmed the organisation had no role to play in the resolution of flooding in the town.

Mr Mackay added: “Strathaven has been identified as a Potentially Vulnerable Area through the National Flood Risk Assessment.

“To help us increase our understanding of the flooding issues in this area, and to set out a strategic plan to reduce the risk of flooding in the town, the council will take forward a Flood Protection Study for the Strathaven area.

“Through this we hope to identify the sources of flooding and their potential impacts, as well as the potential options available to manage flooding in and around the town.

“Resources allowing, our aim is to complete this within the next two years.”