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North-east battered by 30ft waves as further flooding hits

Flooding could impact travel at the start of this week. Image: DC Thomson.
Flooding could impact travel at the start of this week. Image: DC Thomson.

Families and businesses in the north-east scrambled to salvage what was left of their possessions yesterday as they faced the threat of more flooding misery.

Forecasters warned the weather misery was expected to continue into today – with coastal regions expected to be battered by 30ft offshore waves.

It was the second time severe weather had hit the area in a matter of days after hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes when the River Dee burst its banks due to heavy rain and gales swept in by Storm Frank.

But just days into the clean-up operation residents were told to brace themselves for more severe floods.

The Met Office issued an amber “be prepared” warning for the region, with seven inches of rain expected to fall. The alert remains in place until midnight tonight.

In Ballater, which bore the brunt of last week’s flooding, residents and business owners used hundreds of sandbags to try to protect their properties from the encroaching water.

With the river swell expected to peak at about 3pm, residents in the worst-hit streets loaded up cars and vans with what they could from their homes and left for temporary accommodation.

Gordon Croll was helping his son move after he “lost everything” when flood water swept into his Dee Street home, close to Ballater Caravan Park, which was littered with the wreckage of holiday homes.

He said: “It was 5ft up the walls inside so they lost everything, they’re staying with my mother so they’re homeless really.

“It’s quite worrying when you see everyone putting up the sandbags, it gives you an uneasy feeling because with the rain that’s forecast, the river’s going to rise again – we’re just trying to get anything that’s still salvageable, because it might not be next time.”

Bert Cowie – whose friends’ home was flooded while they were on holiday – said he had never witnessed weather like it in the 30 years he had lived there.

He added: “I remember my brother telling me about the Dee bursting its banks, and there were dead animals washed up on the street, but that must have been 50 years ago.

“We walked up to the golf course a wee while ago and that’s bad, and personally, I can’t see the caravan site opening again.”

Motorists were faced with treacherous driving conditions which worsened as the day wore on.

And phone lines were down across the region, with residents in Braemar and Crathie unable to contact the emergency services.

BT and the British Red Cross had to be drafted in to provide a temporary phone service for residents in both villages.

Meanwhile, Aberdeen City Council was forced to close Duthie Park car park to vehicles amid fears the nearby Dee would spill on to the grounds.

The Met Office’s amber warning remains in place for Grampian, as well as Central, Fife and Tayside regions.

Forecasters have also warned coastal areas will be hit with waves up to 23ft – the height of two double-decker buses.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 27 flood warnings in place across the country, and four flood alerts, including one for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.

The A93 between Ballater and Braemar remains closed until repairs can be carried out after a section of the road was washed away during the worst of Wednesday’s weather.

And the Invercauld Bridge near Braemar is closed to vehicles and this is expected to be for a number of weeks.