Village opens £25m flood protection scheme

A NEW £25 million scheme to protect one of the most flood-devastated villages in the country officially opened yesterday.

Almost four out of five houses in Rothes, Moray, are at serious risk of flooding because three burns converge in the Speyside village. Flash floods caused almost 4m in damage to the village in 1997 and 2002.

Work began on the scheme three years ago. A series of channels and flood defences have been constructed throughout the village. A spokesman for Moray Council said: "The Rothes scheme has been the most technically challenging of the five flood alleviation projects which Moray Council has promoted.

"A number of buildings have had to be demolished and a new road bridge has been constructed over the Rothes Burn."