More than £1.7m has been secured by Inverclyde Council to tackle the issue of flooding in the area.

In April, the local authority submitted a bid for a share of Scottish Government funding for the project, and following discussions, an agreement has been reached for the Greenock element of the Inverclyde Flood Protection Scheme. It is understood the £1.743m funding will cover around 79% of the £2.2m needed for the scheme.

Welcoming the investment, Depute Council Leader, Councillor Jim Clocherty, said: "This is extremely welcome news and I would like to thank all involved for their hard work. For the past few years we have made identifying, planning and dealing with flooding a priority and it is fantastic that we have now secured the funding to press ahead and make a real difference."

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Councillor Michael McCormick, Environment & Regeneration Convener, added: "The causes of flooding in Inverclyde are not simple and the solutions to fix them are complex and costly. Rather than one single event such as a river bursting its banks causing the problem it is a series of events whose cumulative effect gives rise to the serious flooding that has led to misery and disruption to householders and businesses.

"This funding will allow us to address these multiple causes and go a long way to reducing the problems that flooding can bring. It will make a significant difference but more money will be needed to address all of the known areas of flooding in Inverclyde."

(JP/MH)