Freuchie Flood Action Group

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for Fife, but the Scotland wide advisory is far more accurate:

There is a moderate risk of severe weather affecting parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. There is the potential for heavy, thundery rain to give totals in excess of 50 mm in places, with an associated risk of localised flooding.

SEPA has issued a Flood Watch:

A FLOOD WATCH has been issued for Fife and Clackmannanshire rivers.

Heavy rainfall is forecast this morning. High intensity rainfall may cause flooding on small watercourses, roads and in urbanised areas.

Freuchie has seen 38mm of rainfall in the last 6 hours with more rain to come throughout today. Condition couldn’t have been better over the last few months for Freuchie to be able to withstand such a deluge. However residents who invested in flood defences would be advised to have them on standby.

There are a number of gullies blocked in the village and Muirhead. FFAG will report these to Fife Council for maintenance.

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Reading the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 doesn’t easily clear up all the timescales for delivery of the various steps required to comply with the Act and ultimately when it is liable to bring real world flood prevention and protection measures to fruition. Surely there must be an easier way to find out the deliverables timescale rather than reading through and deciphering the Act? Yes, there is now. The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act Annual Report to Parliament 2009 has recently been published on the Scottish Government website, a report that appears to provide some of the outstanding answers being sought by flood survivors.

Date: 2016

Milestone: Publish implementation plans for delivering all measures set out in local flood risk management plans.

Lead: Local authorities

It is slightly alarming to see it could take until 2016 before local authorities publish their implementation plans. Gulp! Freuchie will undoubtedly have been hit by more flooding before this happens.

The intention is to lay a second commencement order in 2010 to bring into force Part 4 and the remaining sections of Part 6. In commencing Part 4, regulations setting out the transitional arrangements for transfer from the current statutory process for Flood Protection Schemes under the 1961 Act to the new process set out in the FRM Act will also be laid.

Part 4 of the Act relates to local authority powers to manage flood risk. Basically the local authorities gain all manner of new and strengthened powers and responsibilities for flooding in 2010.

In response to the long standing concerns surrounding the existing statutory process for Flood Protection Schemes, we are keen to allow local authorities to utilise the benefits of the new system as early as possible and without the need to go through a lengthy and complex period of transition.

Provision has been made to deliver flood improvements in a more timely fashion, but this will depend on your local authority pushing things along. In the meantime we need to push ahead under the old legislation and transitional arrangements – basically the outgoing regime that is no longer fit for purpose.

From 1 April 2008, funding of flood protection and coast protection schemes is not identified separately but the previous ring-fenced grant provision of £42 million in 2007-08 is rolled up in the General Capital Grant which is distributed to local authorities as part of the 3-year local government finance settlement covering the period 2008-11. The decision to substantially reduce ring-fencing was welcomed by COSLA and local government, and had no impact on the level of capital grant funding available to them. For 2009-10, local government was provided with a general capital grant of £462.64 million. The Scottish Government is continuing to deliver on its commitment to increase local authorities’ share of the Scottish Budget.

The report skirts around the issue of whether there has been increased spending on flood prevention since the change from ring fencing of funds to the Single Outcome Agreement. Going forward, a major worry has to be the potential for underfunding of flooding at local authority level. Councillors may well decide flooding is not a priority as the austerity cuts start to bite. Flood affected communities will have to lobby very hard to ensure councillors don’t make it impossible for flood officers to resource flood prevention and protection projects. Let’s hope we don’t hear Anne Robinson muttering, “Flooding… you are the weakest link!”

The Scottish Flood Forum (SFF) was set up in October 2008, with funding from the Scottish Government and the feedback received, from local authorities, community councils and individuals who have been flooded, on the services provided by SFF is very positive.

Freuchie Flood Action Group has the highest praise for the hard work and advice of Paul Hendy from the Scottish Flood Forum (SFF). We were the first flood action group to work with the SFF, a partnership that ensured Freuchie was well known by everyone that matters in the world of flooding! The commitment outlined in the report to extend the services available from the SFF is fabulous news for flood affected communities.

Elsewhere in the report, ongoing research and projects using Natural Flood Management (NFM) are mentioned. Developments in the flood warning service are welcome, but only become useful in Fife once the projects are rolled out Scotland wide.  The changes in areas of responsibility for the local authorities, Scottish Water, SEPA and other stakeholders are touched upon. A selection of large capital flood projects throughout Scotland are dealt with, but it is interesting to note the lack of information on any Fife projects currently underway!

Flood action groups and flood survivors will take a mixed bag from this report. In general it demonstrates good progress in dealing with flooding in Scotland.

Technorati Tags: Fife, flood, Flood Risk Management, flooding, Freuchie, Freuchie Flood Action Group, Scottish Flood Forum, Scottish Government, SFF

Fife Council completed the surface drainage works at Freuchie Mill last week. The C23 – Freuchie Mill Road – is once again open without restriction. The residents of Freuchie Mill and Freuchie Mill Road now await the first real test of this scheme with nervous anticipation.

Once again thank you to Cllr MacDiarmid for his assistance in getting Fife Council officers to recognise the urgency for such a scheme, to the officers for finding the funds and organising the project and to Bob and the rest of his road crew for the back breaking installation of the drainage scheme.

One major flooding source dealt with, only two more to go! This new scheme will once again make the undersized culvert and the water source coming through Freuchie Mill House the pinch points of greatest concern. It is only a matter of time before these two identified flood risks cause significant flooding again at Freuchie Mill.

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At approximately 6am this morning an electrical fire broke out in a food storage area at the Kettle Produce Orkie Farm processing plant in Freuchie. It quickly became apparent this was a major incident with fire fighting teams arriving from all over Fife, at least two ambulances arriving quickly onsite followed shortly afterwards by Fife Police.

 
Photos: Kettle Produce major fire incident

The smoke pouring into the sky could be seen for miles around. It is being reported in the mainstream media that the fire has brought some traffic disruption to the roads around Freuchie.

Thankfully the Kettle Produce staff and policewoman on the entrance indicated no one has been hurt in the incident.

This is a real blow for the local community. Kettle Produce will have contingency plans in place to deal with such losses of capacity, but it will still be an inconvenience and an added cost to the largest local employer. We hope they get back to normal quickly.

UPDATE:
The fire is now under control.

Kettle Produce has confirmed no one has been hurt in the incident. That’s very good news and a testament to their evacuation and safety procedures and training.

STV News has an online article and video report:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/168772-firefighters-battling-vegetable-plant-blaze/

Technorati Tags: Fife, Fife Police, fire, Freuchie, Kettle Produce

Residents throughout Freuchie are now on flood watch as water courses continue to rise due to the rain and snow falling on Fife.

SEPA has issued an alarming number of flood warnings throughout Scotland, including Fife and Clackmannanshire rivers.

This statement was prepared on 30 March 2010 at 4:24 pm.

A FLOOD WATCH has been issued for Fife and Clackmannanshire rivers.

Heavy rainfall and some snow is expected throughout Tuesday evening and into Wednesday for Fife and Clackmannanshire. Rivers are rising and localised flooding can be expected. Further updates will appear here as more information becomes available.

This FLOOD WATCH is now in force until further notice.

Concerned Freuchie residents have started to move their cars to areas of safety and items of value have been lifted above the flood level of August 2008. Flood defences are either primed or fully deployed in preparation for possible flooding.

Unfortunately this weather is forecast to be with us throughout tomorrow, with some forecasting services showing it to last into Thursday!

Technorati Tags: Fife, flood, flood watch, flooding, Freuchie, Scotland, SEPA

Ewen Jardine, Secretary of Freuchie Community Council, has pointed out the Fife Council Flood Alleviation Report 2009 is now available. Thanks Ewen.

A quick skim through this report reveals underreporting and incomplete analysis of the recent flooding that occurred in Freuchie. FFAG and Freuchie Community Council will be following this up to highlight our concerns.

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This just in from Fife Council with thanks to Cllr David MacDiarmid for sending it on.

THE FIFE COUNCIL (C23 FREUCHIE MILL)

(TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF USE) ORDER 2010

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that The Fife Council have made an Order under section 14(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 continuing to prohibit the use by vehicular traffic of the C23 Freuchie Mill from its junction with the A92(T) to its junction with the A914.

The purpose of the Order is to allow the installation of surface water drainage to be carried out in safety. The effect of the Order will be to continue the closure of the said length of road until 12th April, 2010 or until earlier completion of the works.

The alternative route for through traffic will be via the A92(T), New Inn roundabout and the A914.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained.

Any queries regarding this Notice should be directed to Lynne Lees, Legal Services, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, Fife KY7 5LT.

Iain A. Matheson, Chief Legal Officer 2nd April, 2010

Technorati Tags: Fife, Fife Council, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill, road closure

Cllr David MacDiarmid, John A Thomson (Chairman of Freuchie Flood Action Group) and Freuchie Mill resident Claire Morgan were interviewed and photographer today by The Courier about the surface drainage works currently underway on Freuchie Mill Road.  The news article should be in tomorrow’s newspaper and we highly recommend getting yourself a copy!

Photo: Cllr MacDiarmid and Claire Morgan 

Fife Council workmen have made significant progress over the last few days. Keep up the good work guys.

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Scottish Water came out this evening to repair the water mains damaged by Fife Council earlier today. The repair crew were courteous, professional and dealt with the repair in an efficient and timely manner. When it was pointed out that the chicken farm had no water, which was a threat to the survival of the 22,500 birds, the crew escalated the repair and had the water main turned off within minutes. They proceeded quickly to expose and repair the damaged section of pipe, flush the line and resume normal service for the affected consumers. 

Let’s look over the damage and repair by way of photos…

   
Photos: Scottish Water expose the damaged section of water main

 
Photos: Damaged water main

 
Photos: New section being fitted and water main being flushed out

On behalf of Freuchie Flood Action Group and the businesses and residents of Freuchie affected by this water main damage we would like to thank the Scottish Water team for their excellent service. 

John A Thomson, Chairman of FFAG, has put the team forward for a Scottish Water GEM Award for their service this evening. Hopefully their excellence will be acknowledged as they are a credit to Scottish Water.

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Unfortunately Fife Council has went through the water main on Freuchie Mill Road whilst working on the Surface Drainage Improvement Scheme. This has resulted in low water pressure for residents in Freuchie Mill. As most of the properties will have a modern combination or condensing boiler, it is unlikely there will be enough water pressure to get hot water. Your heating system is a closed loop system so it should still be working without any problem. 

 
Photo: Water cascading down Freuchie Mill Road from the damaged water main 

 
Photo: Location of burst water main and first gulley in position 

Scottish Water has been out to assess the damage. A repair crew is currently repairing another burst water main down in Inverkeithing. They will be directed to Freuchie Mill Road as their next job, which will be at some point later this evening. Everyone should have normal water pressure soon.

Technorati Tags: Fife, Fife Council, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill, Freuchie Mill Road, Inverkeithing, Scottish Water