A solution may have been found to ease surface water flooding in an area of Elgin.
Streets including Victoria Crescent and Maisondieu Road are notoriously bad for surface water flooding especially when there are heavy downpours.
There are also problems on nearby Station Road.
The most recent deluge on July 10 resulted in water backing up into residential gardens and traffic disruption.
Flood work must be future proofed
However investigations by Moray Council found an outfall close to the Landshut Bridge should have been diverted when Elgin’s flood alleviation scheme was being built.
But instead the pipe that is supposed to release into the River Lossie was closed off.
Because of the oversight people living there have been plagued with surface water flooding for the best part of 10 years.
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said work on the outfall would be carried out as soon as possible.
But they warned it might not resolve the problem as other factors could be contributing to flooding in the area.
The spokesperson said: “We have been investigating the issue for some time and will continue to work with our partners at Moray Council who are the flood authority.
“In the meantime, we are arranging to carry out the work to reconnect the outflow although given the complexities of flooding there is no guarantee it will resolve the problem for residents.”
Complex issues
The spokesperson also asked residents to contact the organisation if there are any further surface water flooding events.
Elgin North Labour councillor Sandy Keith raised the problem with the water authority.
And while he welcomed the action being taken, he felt it should have been dealt with sooner.
Mr Keith said: “This has been going back years, and people are getting sewage backing up into their gardens.
“I’m hoping the work will be carried out quickly, but there’s also a need for it to be future proofed.
“We’re seeing far more of these heavy down pours that are like having a bucket of water tipped over your head.
“And this work needs to be able to cope with that.”
Work on the £86 million Elgin flood alleviation scheme began in April 2011 and was completed in January 2016.
Since the late 1990s the town has suffered five serious flooding incidents when the River Lossie has overtopped.
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