Inverclyde Council has become one of the first in Scotland to begin implementing its Flood Action Plan.

The Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee has agreed to spend £425,000 in this financial year on the first phase of works designed to reduce the risk of disruption due to flooding.

Councillor Robert Moran, Convener of the Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee said “In September last year we helped to establish a multi-agency Flood Action Working Group to come up with a fully costed Flood Action Plan. The group has prioritised what needs to be done and this work will now commence according to the priorities set out in that Action Plan. This will be a long, slow and expensive process but by working together we can go a long way to alleviating some of the major issues that flooding can cause.”

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A system is being developed to improve the management of the five Council owned reservoirs that feed into the Greenock Cut canal system. This will better manage the peak flows in key watercourses running through Inverclyde.

A detailed site investigation, minor repair works and a new discharge system will also be installed to address flooding issues at Greenock West Station.

Councillor Moran added: “The Flood Action Plan will constantly be updated and amended as our understanding of the mechanisms of flooding increases. We have allocated extra funding this year to prioritise some flood relief schemes but it should be remembered that they will not resolve all of the flooding issues in Inverclyde. The Flood Plan must continue to develop as funding is made available and flood relief schemes are completed.”

The Flood Risk Management Working group together with the Infrastructure and Traffic Sub Groups continues with its programme of meetings and liaison with landowners and companies to identify and to jointly progress flood relief measures.

(GK)