Flood water begins to subside

Paul John Coulter • Published 29 Nov 2011 15:00 24 Comments

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ROAD operators have confirmed that staff are on standby for more rainfall across Inverclyde - but say flood water is beginning to subside.

Amey Highways, the agency responsible for the area's trunk roads including the A8 and A78, told the Tele that flooding is now beginning to ease across the district - but added that staff are on red alert ahead of the high tide which is around now, 3pm.

A road closure is still in place on the A8, which has been swamped at Cartsburn.

Amey says additional water vacuums have been drafted in to help with the clean-up operation and clear vast amounts of water from the roads.

A spokeswoman for Amey said the 'situation is improving and water levels are going down'.

She added: "The severe rainfall over the last few days has resulted in adverse driving conditions and localised closures across various routes on the south west trunk road network, including the Inverclyde area.

"We have deployed additional crews and resources to help deal with incidents of flooding.

"We urge road users whose travel is necessary to drive with caution and according to road conditions. Motorists can get real time trunk road information at updates at www.trafficscotland.org

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 29 Nov 11

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

Teamnipper
79 posts
Nov 29, 15:20
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Two hours time is when the roads really need to be open by: or heaven help us all getting home.

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samfraegreenock
156 posts
Nov 29, 15:43
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Did anyone actually get to work then?

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moawilliams
6 posts
Nov 29, 15:51
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No never got to work. Sat stuck in gibshill for an hour without moving. Just had to turn around and head home to the upper port. Most of the teachers in the primary schools up port Glasgow couldn't get in either which meant the kids got sent home. No good every time we have heavy rain we also get gridlock too.

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Argyll1854
61 posts
Nov 29, 16:45
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Was stuck for about 2 hours on the A8 just past the Parklea Roundabout eastbound, eventually everyone just about turned and headed back down the same carriageway although it went smoothly. The lad though, had to walk all the way back to the Port from Bishopton with no trains running and all roads including minor closed off

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T
19 posts
Nov 29, 16:59
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No problems took my daughter to T Mobile right up to the front door to save her feet getting wet, only for the management to tell her to go home as they were shutting the centre for the day.

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StuartH
47 posts
Nov 29, 17:05
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Everyone is blaming Inverclyde Council,but it is Amey who are responsible for all trunk roads....A8,M8 etc.

Just a thought.

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johnodonnell62
2 posts
Nov 29, 17:34
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amey dont control the weather .... although the council is quite powerful they also dont control the weather .....grow up stop complaining it only happens once in a blue moon deal with it !

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samfraegreenock
156 posts
Nov 29, 17:58
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That once in a blue moon seems to come around every year, though.

And every year we get the usual lessons have been learned tripe - unfortunately they never tell us what the lessons were, obviously not contingency planning though

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Maxi67
18 posts
Nov 29, 18:23
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Made two attempts to make it through to Glasgow and gave up at lunchtime, I thought I would rather be stuck at home than at work.

Traffic Scotland says the A8 is still closed with no estimate of when the closure will be off.

Fingers crossed it will be opened in the morning.

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gourockgal
7 posts
Nov 29, 18:40
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I made it to Drumchapel, took about an hour longer than normal from Gourock and think I was the last one through the A8 at Langbank before they closed the road. Came home early afternoon via Bridge of Weir/Kilmacolm and the old Greenock Road, a bit hairy but passable. I think one of the real problems is signage on diversions or anyone to tell you where to go when they do shut roads

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pedro67
1 post
Nov 29, 19:07
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why are we not told about the minor roads to kilmalcomb and bridge of weire ect lots of drivers have to travell these roads to get to out lying places to get to there work .

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Merlin
144 posts
Nov 29, 19:48
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Pedro: has it never occurred to you to take a wee drive to "Kilmacolm, Bridge of Weir etc." [spelling] when the weather is dry and find out how to get about the district? It's Inverclyde, not the Paris - Dakar rally.

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Violets49
41 posts
Nov 29, 20:20
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I was hard put to get from Overton to the town centre!

Now,Today was an abnormal weather occurence! BUT! In my 50-odd years of observing the happenings at the tgail of the bank, every time we get heavy rain the same places flood! Blackstone roundabout! The ladyburn at the tan works! The west station! Charing Cross! Check back into the arcives and you will see that these places flooded in Victorian times! Why doesn't our illustrious local authority DO something about it! The stock exciuse about the TanWorks was that all those frightful chavs from the gibby were tossing all their rubbish into the ladyburn and choking up the grids where it passes under the main road! The 'Gibby' isn't there now! So,whats the excuse now? Anybody would think that we never get rain in Greenock! I think we need to look at why the drains just don't seem to work!

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Violets49
41 posts
Nov 29, 20:26
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Stuart H and Johnodonnell62 the problem is not the roads,the problem is the TOTALLY inadequate drains which just don't seem to cope with excess water! That may be because the gullies aren't cleaned often enough or it may be a design fault! This has happened FAR too often over the last sixty years! Time to call a halt and make the council take action!

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johnodonnell62
2 posts
Nov 29, 21:26
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as violets49 points out the same places do flood every time there is really heavy rain

and this has been happening since victorian times,long before there was a gibby or indeed a chav to toss rubbish anywhere,but perhaps the reason that the same places flood everytime is because these places are at the bottom of a hill. blackstone roundabout.....cluneBRAE

ladyburn.............. gibsHILL

charing cross......... bakersBRAE

i suppose we can blame the council for the geography of the area

Recommend? Yes 3 No 0
WeeJockW
676 posts
Nov 29, 22:14
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Maybe our wee Donkey can use the yearly floods to promote inverclyde as a great place to film Hollywood Blockbusters like Titanic, no need to go to sea or build a big tank. They could film it on the street.

The Ten Commandments with Liam Neeson parting the waters at Ladyburn.

Great chance not to be missed Dunky.

Any other ideas for Hollywood Blockbusters that could be filmed in Inverclyde, please send to Dunky McNeil Holyrood Edinburgh.

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samfraegreenock
156 posts
Nov 29, 22:16
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Johnod - clune brae/clun brae floods at Newark roundabout area because the burn there gets backed up because of uncleared debris same with burn culvert at lady burn

The burn flows down in bouverie area but landowners sometimes don't pitch in and council doesn't seem to want to force it, bit were Lidless is used to flood regularly

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Idoubtit
132 posts
Nov 29, 23:05
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We just got to the bullring as the traffic started backing up. I went up Sir Michael street and past the Well Park and it was backed up there as well, so I went up again via Lynedoch Street and that was frightening. The burn was pouring down the road, really fast flowing and dangerous. So dangerous I turned right to get out of it and then got onto the main road past the Sugarhoose. But we knew by then the motorway was a no go and all the other roads and the trains were stopping at the Port so we headed there. He got on the train. I phoned in and took the day off and went to the Port Tescos for a cup of tea and spent 90 quid on Christmas stuff. He texted an hour and a half later to say the train was stuck at Langbank. It made it to Glasgow eventually though.

I met a man at Tesco that said he worked in the Sugarhoose and the men had to clear the sluice gates 3 or 4 times every day or the burn would burst out.

Do you hear me, whom it may concern? Does the burn sluice need clearing when it rains?

Didn't get back to Gourock until 13:30, btw. Gridlock at the Port toon.

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Tiddles
1077 posts
Nov 30, 17:42
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Are the burn sluices still there?

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WeeJockW
676 posts
Nov 30, 18:21
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Next time it rains I'll just head to the west station to sail rather than go to the Murdie.

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retired trucker
1 post
Nov 30, 18:40
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There are enough back roads leading out of Greenock that could be utilized in the event the main road is closed because of flooding.One is the road from Loch Thom to Largs across the moors.It,s a nice scenic drive.Brings you out just before the centre of Largs.I used to go that way for a drive once in a while when I lived in Scotland,but now I live in Braeside Ont. Canada

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wig-wam-tam
419 posts
Nov 30, 20:27
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retired trucker - you wouldn't believe how busy that road gets nowadays - being single track and very narrow, it doesn't lend itself to being a overspill route very well

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myfindhorn
278 posts
Nov 30, 20:49
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Greenocks drains are a disgrace and it is no good the council giving planning permission for more houses etc when they will all be built on crap foundations. The old system of drainage is still being used and is totally useless in this modern day and age and if they keep filling in the likes of drydocks , where in the hell do they expect the water to go.

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NATDEE
1 post
Nov 30, 22:38
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I got a puncture going through a puddle. Who do i sue?

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