Record rainfall runs up a £1million bill for council
The Borders is counting the cost of last year’s record-breaking rainfall.
Berwickshire was the wettest since Met Office records began more than 100 years ago - a year-and-a-half’s worth of rainfall in 2012 when 1,208.3mm was chalked up throughout that period – 146 per cent of the average. The county’s second and third wettest years were 1916 and 2008 (1064.8mm) respectively.
A Scottish Borders Council (SBC) spokesman said: “To date we have spent about £1million across the whole spectrum of services provided by the environment and infrastructure department. Costs are still being accrued. There was a huge take-up of our Resilient Communities plans. The perception was that these were for winter weather and we continually reinforced the point that they are for all-year events, which last year proved correct.”
Meanwhile the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS) is urging the region’s producers to seek help if they need it.
Vice-president and Borders farmer Rob Livesey said: “We know many farmers are struggling to cope. NFUS works closely with the rural charity, RSABI, who run Gatepost, a confidential telephone service for farmers, and we would encourage anyone finding things too much to get in touch with them on 0300 111 4166.”
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Weather for Duns
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 7 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South west
