South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth and Annandale South Councillor Sean Marshall have welcomed the news that Scottish Water have agreed to invest in storm storage and upgrades to the sewer network in the Annan.

The local Labour politicians have been urging the company to take action to prevent a repeat of the flooding experienced in Annan, on Rose Street, Charles Street, Greenlea Road and within Newington Park last July.

Scottish Water have now confirmed to the local politicians that they will fund a proposed solution which will consist of:

• the construction of a large underground storage tank in the south western part of Newington Park
• upsizing sewers within the park to transfer storm flows to the tank
• upsizing sewers and related structures on Rose Street/Charles Street to transfer storm flows to the tank
• some sewer upsizing on Greenlea Road to transfer storm flows away from the area. 

The company have said the significant size of the scheme will lead to disruption during construction for an extended period but have expressed a commitment to work closely with the community on the best way to deliver this.

A final timescale for the work has not been agreed by Scottish Water but they intend to hold a drop-in meeting in the near future to discuss the proposal with the community. They also plan to continue to work with Dumfries and Galloway Council to ensure this solution is integrated with their Surface Water Management Plan. 

Colin Smyth MSP said, “I’m pleased Scottish Water have confirmed that they plan to go ahead with the significant work that will be needed to avoid a repeat of the appalling flooding we saw last July. This will be a major, but long overdue investment, by the company and I hope they will be able to confirm exact timescales soon. Until work has been carried out local residents will understandably feel anxious that they could be hit with flooding again. Hopefully the temporary measures that have been installed such as storm guards and storm door protection will be sufficient in the short term. However, it’s vital that the company carry out the major work as soon as possible.”

Annandale South Councillor Sean Marshall said, “A major hurdle has been overcome now that the project has been financially sanctioned by Scottish Water. However, myself and Colin Smyth will continue to press Scottish Water for an early start date for this project. When completed it should ensure that residents in this area of Annan do not experience ever again extensive flooding to their gardens and properties and that will be warmly welcomed.”