Anxious Aberlour residents have developed their own plans to help defend homes in the Speyside village from flash flooding – while also demanding more action to stop it happening again.
The community was devastated in May after torrential rain sent torrents of muddy water through homes, gardens and streets, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Three months on, the volunteer-run Old Station Tearoom and Speyside Visitor Centre remain closed due to the damage after the second major incident since 2021.
Moray Council has already done work to clear out ditches and drains that had not been maintained for years and became clogged with debris during the torrential rain.
However, warnings have been issued any additional work will have to wait until a region-wide flood action plan is finalised in 2028.
Talks were held in the village this week between community groups, Moray Council, Sepa and Scottish Water about steps taken, what’s planned and action locals can take themselves.
We spoke to residents about what flooding in Aberlour means for their homes as well as the activists working to protect the community.
The 83-year-old who cleared flooded himself roads with a spade
Bill Robertson has lived in Aberlour for 46 years and moved to his current home overlooking the village in 1982.
After May’s flooding the 83-year-old cleared the mud on roads surrounding his home with a wheelbarrow and spade to allow cars to pass.
During his decades in the village he has seen pipes in the area becoming gradually more clogged with debris – likening their condition to “concrete”.
Mr Robertson said: “We don’t necessarily just want people to come down and tell us about what we can do – we want them to sort it out.
“They have to make sure these ditches are clear and maintained. If they were clear in May it wouldn’t have solved the problem completely, but it wouldn’t have been as bad.”
The volunteers desperate to help visitors and community
Aberlour Community Association’s prized assets, the Old Station Tearoom and Speyside Visitor Centre bore the brunt of the May’s torrential rain.
Water poured down the hill in the village and poured inside the buildings – causing immeasurable damage.
The buildings have remained closed during the summer season with the female toilets only recently able to reopen on a unisex basis while the male block is still closed.
Inside new flooring is needed as well as white goods for the kitchen with the male toilets needing to be completely refurbished.
Chairwoman Pam Winchester and vice-chairman Willie Cameron explained the group have been left in “limbo” since the flooding.
Mr Cameron said: “The big issue is insurance. We found out the building was under-insured, which means the insurers are only offering to pay out 35% of the claim.
“We certainly won’t be open again this year and we’ll look to start again next season.”
Mrs Winchester added: “It’s hugely frustrating. From a financial basis, we would usually have been open during the Highland Games selling teas, pancakes and ice cream, so we have missed out on that income.
“It’s sad because you can still see the amount of people who keep trying to get into the visitor centre, even with the signs up. We just want to put on a good welcome for people.”
The activists making plans for future floods
Since May’s flooding Speyside Community Council has been making plans to allow residents to better respond to extreme weather.
During spring’s torrential rain residents, one carrying a seven-month-old baby, took to the streets with spades in an attempt to clear drains and keep water outside their front door.
Local councillors have since pledged money from their own individual discretionary funds to pay for 250 sandbags for the village.
The community council has since secured premises for them to be safely stored with the community association working with the Scottish Flood Forum on a defence for the tearoom building.
Community council chairwoman Marion Ross said: “We had been developing a resilience plan already and the flooding really just brought that to a head.
“Until that point people didn’t really know what it was, but that was a situation that showed that perhaps it was better to be more organised.”
The residents maintaining flood defences themselves
Keith and Angela Warburton moved to their home on the hill overlooking the village a year ago from Garmouth.
The couple avoided the worst of the flooding in May but were “shocked” to discover the devastation and mess in the rest of the community.
However, they have worries about years of neglect on drains and ditches in the area after taking on maintenance for a field drain to protect their neighbours.
Mr Warburton said: “We maintain a field drain in our garden. It runs along for about 200ft and water trickles along it normally.
“We dug it out last year, I think it hadn’t been done for about 30 years or something. If we don’t take care of it our neighbours will flood in heavy rain.
“Our main concerns would be if any flood works done divert more water into it to the point where it can’t cope.”
What work is being done to help Aberlour flooding and when?
Moray Council has already done short-term works with pipes and gratings cleared along Allachie Drive.
At the same time officials have already begun investigations about a long-term plan to reduce flooding concerns in Aberlour.
However, due to the blueprints being approved on six-year cycles and requiring Scottish Government funding and input from other agencies, including Sepa – action is not expected until 2028 at the earliest.
Debbie Halliday, Moray Council’s consultancy manager, explained the growing Aberlour community has made previous flood defences out-of-date.
She said: “We have a flood scheme in Aberlour which was developed in the late 80s or early 90s, which was before the Linn Brae homes were built, which is where the flooding was.
“The flood plans work on six-year cycles, so it isn’t as easy as going in and doing works straight away. We look at the whole of Moray to target the work.
“There are triggers though that can change that, like some extreme flood events or new developments.”
Conversation