Glasgow resident in rain terror after downpour floods home TWICE

Karen Lochhead, who lives in Drumchapel, has become a “prisoner” to her property as she is too scared to leave her house in the event of downpour.

The 50-year-old’s home first flooded in 2018, with the most recent incident taking place only last month.

She said: “I was sitting in the living room and we were just about to go out but thankfully, we decided not to. Within a matter of half-an-hour, the same thing that happened in 2018 happened again.”

For the second time, to Karen and her partner’s dismay, the couple began to witness water gathered at a nearby roundabout pour into their property within a matter of minutes.

“At that point, I started throwing up planks of wood and put down about 20 towels to soak up the water”, she said. 

“I even put up a block in front of our door.

“Eventually, when the rain calmed down and when I knew it wasn’t going to burst through my doors I went to see neighbours to tell them what was going on.”

On both occasions, residents have been left with their gardens “completely ruined” with sewage spurting out from the drains and onto the grass. 

Karen added: “I actually fell into it when I was trying to tell my neighbours about the flooding. It leaves our gardens completely ruined.

“I could have caught anything from it. I had to power wash the whole house after it happened and had to take all of my towels to the laundrette to get them washed.

“It becomes a four-day-long ordeal trying to sort it all out and get things right again.”

And after watching the water appear as high as her windowsill last month, Karen is warning that it is only a matter of time before her home will flood again. 

She said: “If it had rained any heavier or any more, my house would have gone completely under water. I have been lucky that both times it has happened before I have been at home and have managed to stop it completely flooding my whole home. If I was away, it would have been a completely different story.

“With the way climate change is going now, is this going to be a thing where we can’t leave our homes in the fear that if it rains, they will flood? 

“It gives us the absolute fear. My husband works away and it leaves me feeling like a prisoner in my house watching to see if the rain comes back. It’s like constantly feeling on edge.

“It is 100% going to happen again – I do not have any confidence that my house will not flood again.”

The Glasgow Times understands that a nearby road is also affected by the flooding, which is believed to have been caused by overflowing water tanks underneath the ground. 

“We have been left high and dry”, said Karen.

“I don’t think the two tanks are handling the volume of water coming through to them, which would explain the flooding at the roundabout that pours into our homes. 

“We really need to get this problem fixed before it is too late. There are only so many times that a home insurer will pay out.”

Scottish Water have since launched an investigation into the incidents to establish the exact cause of flooding. 

A spokesman said: “We have only recently been made aware of this flooding issue in Drumchapel and we have made contact with the residents who have been affected. 

“Our investigations are ongoing to establish exactly what is causing the flooding at this location. We await the outcome of these investigations and will of course take appropriate action and offer support to our customers if there is an issue with our infrastructure.”

Councillor Paul Carey

In the meantime, local Labour representative, councillor Paul Carey has called for a meeting between the water giant, Glasgow City Council and the residents to find an urgent solution.

He said: “This not the first time these people’s homes have been flooded. I have called a meeting with Scottish Water and the Council along with the residents.

“I am determined that the agencies will jointly find a solution to this. They cannot just fob people off by saying it is because of climate change and leave it at that.

“These people have worked hard for their homes, so I expect a better and permanent solution for my constituents.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We are aware of recent flooding incidents in this area and we are looking at what might be done to reduce of the risk of a repeat in future.

“As has been seen in Glasgow and elsewhere, severe, sudden downpours of rain have the potential to overwhelm any drainage system.

“However, we are engaging with the local community and partner organisations and further investigation and detailed analysis is required to understand fully the issues in this area.

“An effective plan to reduce the risk of flooding in the area is best delivered by collaboration between partner agencies and the local community and we always prioritise investment for where the greatest risk of flooding exists.”

“SEPA and the council are currently consulting on the Flood Risk Management Plans for the period 2022 to 2028 and members of the public can respond by visiting:-  https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/evidence-and-flooding/frmplans/.”