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North-east flood victims begin piecing their lives back together

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Victims of the winter flooding that devastated the north-east have begun piecing their lives back together.

As Aberdeenshire Council revealed that the region’s clean-up bill could top £7.6million, affected homeowners are also counting the cost of the damage.

When the storms hit in January, retired scientist Linda Herbert was forced to rush from cancer surgery to rescue her dog from the floodwaters.

Miss Herbert feared her pet Morwenna would drown in her kennel, so set off into the night and travelled 35 treacherous miles from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to her cottage at Fortrie near Turriff.

She arrived home to find dog bowls floating around her kitchen but was able to save her canine companion.

Seven weeks later and Miss Herbert, who specialised in medicinal sciences during her career, is trying to return to normal daily life.

“The insurance people have taken all the wet carpet up and dried the place out, and I’m just waiting for the new carpets to be laid,” the 63-year-old said.

Miss Herbert has benefited from council and Scottish Government grants to restore her home.

“They’ve come in very handy. I didn’t expect to get them because so many people have been affected but I was pretty hard-up.

“It was rather a shock when it happened but now I just want to get on with things.”

Another north-east resident who has benefited from the grant scheme is Obby Ronsberg who lives in the village of Pittulie near Fraserburgh.

But although Mr Ronsberg has received the money, the damage to his High Street property was so severe that his living room will be cordoned off until early April.

When the flash flood hit the fishing village, Mr Ronsberg’s sunken lounge was left under several feet of water.

Last night future son-in-law Shane Stephen, who has been helping with repairs, said: “He’s got nothing left in there. The plaster, the insulation and wiring are ruined.

“Even his radiator crumbled off the wall and burst a pipe. He’s piecing things together slowly but surely now – he’s just fed up.”

A new report to Aberdeenshire councillors has revealed that the total clean-up cost in the aftermath of Storm Frank is expected to be £7.6million.

An estimated £1.7million has already been spent repairing council infrastructure, including £300,000 to replace a collapsed section of the A93 Aberdeen to Braemar road at Crathie.