Storm Babet: The devastation in Brechin is clear to see

River Street in the Angus town has been all but destroyed after Storm Babet

It is clear it will take months - maybe even years - for Brechin to recover from Storm Babet.

First Minister Humza Yousaf visited the Angus town to meet residents who have been impacted by the floods, and I went along to hear what he had to say.

Most of the visit focused on River Street on the banks of the River South Esk which is now covered in mud and silt, with tree branches lodged in the fences along the street.

Some of the damage caused to River Street, Brechin by Storm Babet. Image: Andrew Milligan/Press Association.

People’s properties have gone from being family homes overlooking the river, to completely destroyed in a matter of hours.

One resident said the water level was up to her shoulders.

It is obvious after only spending a couple of hours there that the damage is extensive - and although the water levels have receded off the road, the river is still high and fast-flowing.

Mr Yousaf spoke to some of the residents during his visit - even hugged some of them - and told them the Scottish Government is doing everything it can to get the recovery effort moving.

Many are angry and worried - angry the town’s flood defences, which are only seven years old and cost £16 million to build, failed when they were most needed, and worried about what will happen the next time it rains.

I can only imagine what that must feel like.

My own street in Perth has flooded twice in the past three years and whenever there is heavy rain forecast we all now move our cars elsewhere and put out sandbags - but the floods we’ve seen are nothing compared to what Brechin’s River Street has experienced in the past few days.

Another big issue the town is now also dealing with - gridlocked traffic.

The A90 is currently shut between Forfar and Brechin and engineers say there are still some high-risk structures near Finavon they have yet to assess because the water levels are still “too severe”.

This means traffic is being diverted through Brechin and then onto Montrose and Arbroath - small town and country roads that are not designed to handle that much traffic.

It took me around an hour just to get out of Brechin after speaking to the First Minister - and a gridlocked town centre is the last thing the town needs when it is already having to deal with the aftermath of the floods.