Actions proposed following Thurso flooding

The Highland Council’s Area Roads team in Caithness and the Flood Prevention Team have proposed actions in the short term and the long term to address the issue of the recent flooding in Thurso.

The town was hit by a flash flood on Friday 11 August that led to various local businesses being affected by water that travelled down Olrig Street and onto Traill Street.

Now that the first bulk of the surfacing programme has been completed the council is deploying resources to cleaning the gullies and kerb lines and is highlighting information and advice that is available to anyone affected.

Gully cleaning work started on Friday. The properties affected by the flooding all front onto the Trunk Road which is managed by BEAR Scotland for Transport Scotland. 

Information and advice is available to property owners on the Scottish Flood Forum website  There is also  information and advice contained in the leaflet ‘Managing flood risks in the Highlands’ leaflet .These resources are being shared with the community and property owners.

The Council provides sandbags on request when required. Details are available on the Council’s website.

Following the flooding the flood team believe the outfall to the river may be compromised resulting in a reduced capacity so they will be undertaking a survey to establish the integrity.  They will also examine whether the outfall runs under a property on Traill Street and if so, bypassing works may be required.

In the longer term, the proposal is to map the networks and identify where responsibilities lie in relation to Highland Council, Scottish Water and BEAR Scotland. This will involve a review of all the historical information provided by the flood team and establish what works had been agreed and who was to carry out the work, and confirmation that is has been undertaken.

Chair of the Caithness Committee, Cllr Ron Gunn said: “My fellow ward councillors and I have requested that our local team makes drain clearance in the town a priority issue, so I am pleased that works are underway.

Councillor Karl Rosie added: “I am glad that investigations are now underway to understand and address the issues causing flooding of commercial and residential premises on Trail Street. It is now essential that all possible mitigating measures to prevent flooding are taken. Meantime, we will ensure that updates are provided for our community and hope that an expedited solution will be possible to prevent any reoccurrence.”