Water has poured into Garmouth homes as flooding from the River Spey has spilled into the village for a third day.
Residents have been on alert since Saturday evening as heavy rain inundated communities across the Highlands and Moray.
Some reported not having slept properly for the last two nights due to fears they had for their property.
The River Spey peaked at more than 8ft at Boat o’ Brig, near Rothes, late last night, more than five times how deep it was just two days earlier.
And with all that fast-flowing water unable to rush past Garmouth where it usually would, village streets and the golf course were instead turned into rivers.
‘You’ll never stop Garmouth flooding’
Residents in Garmouth described the flooding in the village as the worst they have seen since 2010.
Huge tree trunks were seen flowing downstream with the clubhouse on the golf course completely inaccessible due to the torrents.
It is understood one person was forced to flee the building during the weekend as water levels rose with a car still abandoned outside.
Resident David Mackay, who lives near the golf course, reported it was the 22nd time his home had been flooded in 35 years.
The retiree, who is secretary of Innes Community Council, had two pumps operating this afternoon to try and keep his property dry.
He said: “We had 3ft inside the house in 2009. It’s only four inches this time, but the volume of water flowing downstream is so much more.
“We started getting ready and then at 6.30pm on Saturday it just hit us like a tsunami, the pumps couldn’t cope.
“Sadly we’re used to it now. We’ve got waterproof hardboard fittings, waterproof insulation, everything waterproof we can get.
“You’ll never stop this, but you can reduce the frequency.”
Can River Spey flooding in Garmouth be reduced?
Homes near the golf course in Garmouth live with a constant fear of flooding from the River Spey.
A deployment of sandbags from Moray Council is in the village permanently with officers dispatching an extra pallet during the weekend.
Residents came together to build two sandbag walls in the road to try and protect as many homes as possible.
However, the flooding from the River Spey closed the main road from Garmouth to Kingston today and yesterday with access reduced to a single-track gravel route.
Jim Mackie, a member of Innes Community Council, said: “Kingston has effectively become an island. Emergency vehicles wouldn’t drive through that water.
“This situation has been known about for over 20 years. There’s been reports predicting this for over 20 years.”
Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor Marc Macrae joined efforts to protect homes in the village.
He said: “It’s frustrating more than anything as a local councillor because we’ve spoken about this many times.
“It beggars belief that for some homes it’s the 22nd time they’ve flooded. It makes it so much more difficult with insurance as they try to rebuild.”
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