Environment

Flash flooding hits Scotland

by Amy Judd | August 22, 2008 at 11:54 am

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Dundee in Scotland was hit by flash floods last night, and over a hundred properties were damaged by about 4ft of water.

Water flooded into shops and homes, and also disrupted the rail service due to a landslip on the Dundee to Aberdeen train line.

Passengers were transferred to replacement bus services and told to expect longer journey times.

Stewart Edgar, Tayside Fire and Rescue Service incident commander, said: "It is the worst flooding we have had for some years."

The deluge began at a time of high tide, so the water was unable to run off into the rivers and the sea and was instead pushed back into the city centre, coming up through sewers and manholes.

The worst affected streets were Trades Lane, Dock Street, and Candle Lane. Shopkeepers told how the downpour caused thousands of pounds of damage to their businesses.

Suhail Akhtar, managing director of SA Computer World, said: "There was about one-and-a-half feet of water going down the street and it just came in through the front door.

"People started trying to move their cars out of the street, but it had a tidal wave effect. The whole road was like a bed of water from one wall to the other wall."

Eight fire engines and up to 50 firefighters were involved in dealing with flood damage around the city centre.

A fire service spokesman said it responded to around 30 flooding-related incidents over the course of the evening. The water receded at about 8pm.