HOMEOWNERS near Helensburgh say they are fearful of further flooding after heavy rainfall caused a deluge of water to take over several gardens in a local village.
Shandon residents living between Kirk Brae and Stuckenduff were left with huge water channels in gardens and driveways earlier in December due to a blocked culvert on the West Highland railway line.
Rainwater cascaded down from the tracks above properties as occupants were forced to divert the floods to prevent them from entering their homes.
After contacting Network Rail, residents were told that a collapsed pipe which caused the problem was situated on third-party land, prompting delays to remedial work.
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Residents were reportedly told by Network Rail that their enquiry had been “passed to our earthworks and drainage engineer who advised there are investigations being carried out at the moment and they have discovered a major collapse of the pipe that the culvert feeds into”.
They added: “Our engineers are working closely with the owner of the pipes to try and resolve the issue.”
Network Rail installed temporary pumps as discussions continued with the pipe’s owner, the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We are aware of flooding caused by a collapsed culvert and we continue to work closely with Network Rail to investigate the problem.
“Access to the affected area is next to a live railway line, which has resulted in a delay accessing the site and has affected remedial works for both the MoD and Network Rail.
“We are currently considering how to resolve this issue and understand that Network Rail has provided additional pumps in the meantime.”
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Despite reassurances, residents remain concerned over the potential of a repeat incident during the next period of heavy rain.
A spokesman for the residents said: “We’ll keep up pressure on the MoD. Our worry is that the job won’t be done until well into the New Year and then only if and when budgets, plans and so on have been approved.
“Meanwhile we are relying on temporary pumps to save our properties from the next deluge and we believe they are unlikely to cope with the massive amount of water coming off the embankment.”
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