Dumfries and Galloway hit by worst flooding seen in 20 years

Nov 25 2009 by Craig Robertson, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

THE REGION is still recovering after residents were hit by some of the worst flooding seen in 20 years.

Towns and villages were battered by a deluge of water on Thursday night and Friday morning which blocked roads, flooded fields and caused swollen rivers to burst their banks.

The worst hit area was Dumfries town centre where the River Nith spilled over onto the Whitesands and nearby streets.

The council said it was the worst flooding in the town since 1990 but many locals said they hadn’t seen it as bad since a major flood in the early 1980s.

Emergency officials from the council, police and fire service were on red alert to prepare the region’s response to the flooding.

It went relatively smoothy and although there were several accidents and damage to property, no injuries were reported.

The council said 79 staff had been deployed overnight and had been supplemented by 11 local contractors who supplied a further 55 staff.

Nearly 2,500 sandbags were also delivered.