Pledge action will be taken on flooding

Householders living in Letham Terraces outside Airth claim they have to drive - and walk – through water containing human waste every time there is a heavy rainfall.

The council, Scottish Water and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) have all promised to investigate.

Ahead of the meeting, resident Stephen Sloper who lives in the grounds of the nearby Airth Castle, said the impact of open cast mining in the area is to blame for the problem.

Mr Sloper (45) insisted: “It all started after the line of the Pow Burn was moved without planning approval when the mine was operating. The resulting flooding has effected the ability of the drainage system to operate effectively.

“The Scottish Water pumping station immediately adjacent to the entrance to Letham Terraces can’t cope and when it fails the area is flooded with water contaminated with human waste.

“The hole that was created as a result of the mining is now being filled in, but the way it’s being done is just adding to the problem.”

Mr Sloper said planning rules have been ignored.

A council spokesman said: “The meeting with land and property owners in the area will discuss drainage improvement proposals designed to reduce the local impact of potential flooding during prolonged periods of heavy rainfall.

“Investigations are ongoing into allegations of potential breaches of planning regulations. These are complex, and finding will be reported back to the council in due course.”

Scottish Water confirmed: “An investigation into our infrastructure is being carried out to establish if there are any issues with it that might be related to flooding.”

A SEPA spokesman said: “We are aware of concerns raised and work is ongoing with Scottish Water to ensure this issue is resolved as soon as possible.

“While flooding has been reported during the extreme winter weather experienced in January, SEPA is unable to confirm if this was linked to the newly landscaped field.”