Wick residents fed up with flooding
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
RESIDENTS in Wick who have been plagued by flooding problems for years claim new measures to prevent drainage overflow have failed and are calling for money to be spent to solve the problem.
Heavy downpours on Saturday afternoon resulted in drains being unable to cope on South Road as water entered the gardens of nearby properties.
This was despite 20 new gullies being fitted earlier this year to help address the problem of flooding at the road which has been an issue for years.
Now fed-up locals are calling on TranServ Scotland and the Highland Council to help resolve the problem once and for all.
James Bremner runs The Clachan bed and breakfast – his property is just one of those affected every time serious flooding hits the area.
He said that after £250,000 was used to resurface the road, it would be a waste of money if the flooding issue was not addressed.
"We only had half an hour of heavy rain, but the drains that had been fitted in by TranServ weren’t even attempting to take the water away," he said.
"The water came up right outside my front door and to the garden walls of my neighbour’s property.
"When cars drive past they splash the water on to his wall which led to it becoming eroded and it’s evident that it is starting to crumble.
"We’re in the middle of the summer and if it can’t cope now, I dread to think what it will be like in the winter time.
"What needs to happen is for the culvert to be repaired and it is a disgrace that it hasn’t happened.
"We would rather see this culvert fixed than spend so much on a road which, from my point of view, was not in that bad a condition."
Two months ago, work was suspended on surfacing repairs on the A99 trunk road after a hole in the ground appeared at the entrance to Wick cemetery measuring a metre and a half.
TranServ said at the time an investigation was being carried out to find out the cause of the road collapse after a deep-seated flaw was discovered in the road structure but it would not comment on what it was.
TranServ Scotland spokesman Cathel Macaskill said it had not received any reports of drainage problems at South Road last weekend.
He said the investigation into the problems which caused the hole have been concluded and work is expected to resume later this month. "We have no record of any issues raised about water ponding in South Road, Wick, at the weekend," he said.
"In relation to the current structural maintenance scheme under construction in South Road localised failures were treated at the time. No further underlying issues were found and resurfacing will resume.
"After discussion with Transport Scotland, resurfacing should recommence at the end of the current holiday period on Monday, August 13."
