West Lothian Council is continuing a programme of works to tackle the impact of flooding caused by heavy rainfall and storm conditions when they occur.

The high winds and exceptional rainfall from Storm Ciaran have caused a number of flooding issues in West Lothian and across Scotland.

The council received 56 calls regarding flooding and had to close eight roads, with staff working throughout the storm to ensure all the roads affected were re-opened by the next day.

The impact of high winds from Storm Ciaran stripping autumn leaves from trees followed by heavy rain was a factor in some flooding incidents, with a high number of areas tackled by council staff where leaf fall was thought to be a factor.

The council has two dedicated machines that clear all 38,185 gullies in West Lothian's road network on a two-year cycle. Known problem areas for flooding are regularly checked when severe weather is forecast.

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West Lothian Council has invested over £10 million in the last decade to tackle flooding and drainage issues across the area.

Increased urbanisation as West Lothian continues to grow with new developments, also places additional surface water volumes and more pressure on the water capacities of existing aged drainage systems. 

A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: "Thanks to all our dedicated staff who worked in very challenging conditions to tackle the impact of severe weather such Storm Ciaran.

"Our teams are equipped and prepared for heavy rainfall events, including major flooding, with access to additional external resources if necessary.

"Routine maintenance and inspections of trash screens, high/medium and low risk watercourses and inspections of the council's formal flood protection schemes are also carried out."

They added: "Council officers also regularly monitor weather forecasting system software to plan and allocate resources when severe weather is expected.

"The impact of climate change also makes weather more extreme and less predictable with increased chance of storms like this in the future.

"Whilst we cannot completely mitigate the impact of severe weather like this, we will make sure our limited resources are focused on reducing the impact where possible and getting West Lothian back to normal as quickly as possible once the weather event is over."