The storms which hit the region late last year have left Dumfries and Galloway Council with a roads repair bill of nearly £500,000.
The worst floods in 40 years hammered Dumfries and Galloway on December 7-8, with businesses and homes being hit with rising water levels causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Council chiefs have confirmed that the extreme flooding followed by cold weather has “accelerated” the deterioration of roads surfaces this winter.
Speaking at the council’s communities committee on Friday, Steven Herriott, the council’s head of roads and infrastructure, said: “I’d like to give an update on the storm damage works and the council’s roads services response to that.
“The roads service has progressed a number of works to roads and carriageways strengthening works, which have been undertaken or are just about to be undertaken, as emergency works following the flood events and earlier cold weather events accelerating deterioration of the carriageway surface.
“At the next meeting of the committee we will provide full details of those works. Some of them are revenue funded, some of them are capital funded.
“But we are looking at almost half a million pounds worth of works.”
The council has been left counting the cost of severe flooding twice in the last five months.
Storm Arwen occurred at the end of October, followed by Storm Barra on December 7-8, causing extensive damage throughout the region.
Business owners were left counting the cost of the damage, and both the Diamond Jubilee and Cuthbertson Memorial bridges were washed away on the River Annan as water levels hit a record high in October.
The Bellwin scheme has been opened by the Scottish Government to help councils who have been significantly impacted as a result of these storms, however finance chiefs did not believe that Dumfries and Galloway would incur costs that meet the funding threshold of nearly £700,000 to be eligible for financial assistance.
However, the council currently has a severe weather emergency fund of £500,000 set aside within service reserves to address these type of
events.
