Businesses in Renfrew are counting the cost of major flooding after Storm Boelo, with questions being raised over why the town’s £10 million flood defence barriers were not activated.
As the clean-up operation gets underway, business owners are left dealing with the aftermath of floodwater pouring into their premises, damaging equipment, destroying fittings and threatening livelihoods.
The flooding has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the town’s flood protection measures and whether more could have been done to protect local businesses during the storm.
Renfrewshire Council has said that predicted tide levels did not meet the threshold required to activate the flood barriers.
However, for the businesses now facing the consequences, the decision has left many asking whether the system provided the protection they expected.
Businesses left counting the cost
Among those affected is Ferry Nice Food, the takeaway on Ferry Road, situated just yards from the £10 million flood barrier.
When Paisley Photographs passed the premises today, the scale of the damage was becoming clear. Counters had been ripped out, while electrical equipment ruined by the flooding had been removed from the business.
The damage highlights the devastating impact the flooding has had on businesses in the area, with owners now facing the difficult task of clearing their premises and assessing the financial cost.
For a local business, damage on this scale can mean more than the cost of replacing equipment and fittings. It can also mean lost trading days and uncertainty over when normal business can resume.
Calls for sandbags
Questions have also been raised over the availability of additional flood protection.
Businesses have reported contacting Renfrewshire Council to request sandbags, but say these were not deployed.
With the flood barriers remaining unused, affected businesses are now left wondering whether additional measures could have helped limit the damage.
Questions that need answered
Renfrew’s £10 million flood defence barriers are intended to provide protection against flooding. Yet, following Storm Boelo, businesses close to the defences have suffered significant damage.
The Council has explained that the predicted tide levels did not reach the activation threshold. But that explanation is unlikely to satisfy business owners who are now facing the consequences of the flooding.
Important questions remain:
- Why were the flood barriers not activated when severe weather and flooding were expected?
- What assessment was made of the risk to local businesses beyond the predicted tide levels?
- Why were sandbags reportedly not deployed after businesses contacted the Council for assistance?
- Could additional precautions have reduced the damage suffered by businesses along Ferry Road?
- Will Renfrewshire Council review its flood response procedures following the flooding?
The Council’s decision may have been based on its established activation criteria, but the impact on local businesses raises questions about whether those criteria and the wider emergency response adequately account for the risks on the ground.
For the businesses now facing damaged premises, ruined equipment and the prospect of lost income, these are not simply questions about a flood defence system. They are questions about how well their town was protected when it mattered most.
What do you think? Should Renfrewshire Council review the criteria for activating the £10 million flood barriers following the flooding caused by Storm Boelo?
Leave a Reply