Flooding causes garden to wash away

Apr 9 2010 by Craig Robertson, Dumfries Standard Friday

RYAN McMurdo is praying for sun ... for every time it rains the hole in his back garden is getting worse.

Years of flooding have caused the soil and grass to wear away, leaving the fence at the family’s cottage near Sanquhar suspended in mid-air.

And it got even worse this week when heavy rain lashed the region on Monday.

Fears are now being raised that if the hole keeps on getting bigger then the property will start to sink.

The 23-year-old farm worker says it is caused by water flooding into the South Gateside property which sits just off the A76 trunk road.

And he points the finger at roads firm Amey for failing to provide sufficient drainage on the main Dumfries to Kilmarnock route which they look after on behalf of Transport Scotland.

He said: “Every time it is heavy rain, the road floods and then it’s like a river running through our garden.

“It has washed away a huge chunk of the garden and it’s got even worse this week.

“The driveway is also starting to sink as well – our car bumper has been hitting the tarmac when you drive in.”

Ryan, who lives at the cottage with disabled father James, mum Helen and brother Kris, claims work to try and put in new drains at the road hasn’t worked.

And the family is pleading with Amey and the surrounding land owners to sort out the problem – before the cottage is affected.

“It could get so bad that it might reach the house,” he said.

“This has been going on for two or three years and we’ve complained and complained but nothing seems to work.

“I can’t let the dog out in the garden because of the hole.

“It’s just a real eyesore.”

An official from Amey visited Mr McMurdo yesterday, after an approach was made by the Standard, to discuss the situation.

A spokeswoman for Amey said: “We are confident that the drainage systems within the trunk road boundary and the properties west of the A76 work as designed.

“This problem lies out with the trunk road boundary however we will work with adjacent landowners regarding this issue.”

She said they had worked with local landowners and Network Rail to install new drainage earlier this year.