Households on Tigh Dearg Road in Kilcreggan were flooded during Storm Kathleen last weekend after contractors ‘walked away’ from a major project to cure the problem.
And the convener of Cove and Kilcreggan Community Council came under fire when a resident said poor drainage from his land was making the problem worse.
The flood prevention work started in early October and was due to finish in January, but contractors left the site last month.
And Tuesday night’s community council meeting heard that sewage had been ‘spewing’ down Tigh Dearg after heavy rain the previous Friday, while on a previous occasion an ‘explosion’ of flooding had been so had that it lifted a BT van off the ground.
“The houses at the bottom got flooded and everyone was running round with sandbags trying to save their houses,” said a resident: “It’s just a mess.”
Convener John Auld, a local farmer, said there had been problems with flooding there for nearly 30 years.
“The issue is the drains are probably now 100 years old,” he said: “They are in a terrible state throughout Kilcreggan.
“There needs to be millions spent in the whole community, not only Tigh Dearg, School Road, Church Road, Donaldson’s Brae, Knockderry Road – there is an investment of tens of millions of pounds probably needed.”
But the resident replied: “I hear what you say, but it is a bit strange that in all the years that Tigh Dearg has been flooded you can actually see the water spouting out of your pipes into the field.
“The day that Argyll and Bute came up and had a discussion with you and insisted that you fixed that middle pipe, the day that was fixed suddenly Tigh Dearg wasn’t getting flooded
“There is a marked improvement since Argyll and Bute forced the fix on that drain.
“The broken pipes in your field are contributing to the flooding.
“The residents are generally sick to death about all the misinformation that is getting round.”
She said that other drains in the field still needed to be fixed and asked for an assurance that this would be done, together with a timescale.
“Part of the problem is one of the community council is one of the contributors to the issue,” she added.
“John needs to cooperate and needs to engage.”
Mr Auld said: ” I know what I can do and it will be done.”
An Argyll and Bute spokesperson said after the meeting: “We are progressing the vital works to resolve flooding issues at Tigh Dearg and will continue to update residents regularly.
“Geo-Rope, the new contractor, is on site managing emergency factors rising from Storm Kathleen and keeping programme for the flood alleviation scheme on track.
Community council secretary Sheelagh O’Reilly said she would write to local ward councillors Maurice Corry, Mark Irvine and Shonny Paterson about the issue, copying in the council chief executive Pippa Milne and MSP Jackie Baillie.
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