No quick flooding fix, worried Inverness householders told

HUNDREDS of worried householders in the Smithton and Culloden areas of Inverness which were badly hit by flash floods have aired their grievances and fears to council officials at a public meeting.

But while there will be no instant fix to the problems, Highland Council and flood prevention consultants will now get their heads together to see what they can come up with.

The theatre at Culloden Academy was packed with residents at a special meeting attended by councillors and officials to discuss incidents in recent weeks which has seen homes awash, roads closed by flooding and structural damage.

Tragedy also struck during last month's floods when Smithton man William Hamilton (68), of Murray Terrace, was died while trying to unblock a culvert.

More than 200 people attended the meeting in the school hall where many blamed the flooding on too many houses being built in the area with individual developers putting in "Mickey Mouse" flood prevention measures.

Smithton and Culloden community council chairman David McGrath warned that the more houses that were built, the worse the situation would become.

"Until the planning authority address these grand scale, piecemeal developments, drainage as a serious issue is not going to get any better," he warned.

Highland councillor Bob Wynd, who represents Culloden and Ardersier, felt the meeting had gone "very well".

"It was an opportunity for the public to give first hand accounts to a number of officials," he said. "My fellow councillors and I were out and about from the very first flood, meeting our constituents and listening to what they had to say, and passing these messages on to the officials."

Councillor Wynd added: "Last night was an opportunity for the officials to hear of these concerns first hand. This was an opportunity to raise things the officials were not aware of, and which were brought to their attention by the people who suffered."

He said this would mean council officials working along with a team of flood consultants to see what could be done meantime, and also establish what would be required in the long term.

"What the public are saying is that the bigger picture needs to be looked at," said Councillor Wynd.