Fire crews save West Lothian homes from Christmas Day flooding

Firefighters have been praised for protecting homes from flooding on Christmas Day.

By The Newsroom

Published 25th Dec 2016, 13:09 BST

Updated 29th Dec 2016, 15:44 BST

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A water main ruptured on Bathgate Road in Blackburn. Picture: Google

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Crews were called to Bathgate Road in Blackburn, West Lothian, at 8.15am after a water main ruptured.

Six Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) appliances, including two specialist water rescue teams, helped the local roads department to pump water away from the affected area.

Sandbags were also used to divert the water away from nearby houses.

SFRS group manager Tom McGrath said: “Our crews worked tirelessly in difficult and challenging conditions to ensure homes were protected so that families could continue to enjoy the Christmas celebrations.

“We would like to thank our firefighters and our partners including Police Scotland, West Lothian Council and Scottish Water for resolving this incident quickly and safely.”