Edinburgh counts the cost after half a month’s rain falls on Capital

Fire brigade officers look for a blocked drain which has flooded a car park, leaving one car flooded in Barnton, Edinburgh.

Panic gripped several communities in the city, with the heavy rainfall bringing traffic to a standstill as offices and homes were deluged.

After the flood waters subsided Evening News readers spoke of their ordeal.

Lewis Johnstone, an Edinburgh driver, said he was lucky when a manhole burst open as he drove along a flood-hit road in Clermiston.

The 20-year-old, who lives in Sighthill, was driving home from his work in Cramond when he was caught up in the downpour.

He said: “I heard this really big bang under the car and the water started gushing...It was pretty scary. It’s pulled the car to the left towards the pavement and it could have been a different story if someone was walking up the street. Someone could have been there and a car could have ploughed into them.”

Lewis was then forced to change a tyre in ankle deep flood water before taking the car to a garage in Gorgie where he was hit with a hefty repair bill.

Staff at Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine’s office on St John’s Road were forced to place a sofa against a door in order to stop the flood water from entering the premises.

David Evans, who works in the constituency office said: “There was no major damage to the office, however, we did end up using an old mattress from a sofa bed we had somehow acquired in order to plug the door to stop any major flooding.

“We had a few wet tiles but to be honest we were pretty lucky. A few other local businesses had more serious damage and I know one was forced to close today.”

Edinburgh City Council said they were not made aware of any significant impacts to service areas. The council also said that there had been no requests for assistance, nor any word of significant impact on businesses.

A Council spokesperson said: “We had a team out Monday afternoon and overnight attending to overflowing gullies and a dayshift team continued to respond to enquiries throughout the day yesterday.

“We have also been using sweepers from waste and cleansing to clear any remaining debris from the worst affected areas.”

The council have been working with Scottish Water to ensure manholes are safely covered and to patch up any surrounding road surface damaged by Scottish Water’s manhole covers being lifted by overflowing sewers.

“They have also said that they are in the process of inspecting roads which have been reported as having been damaged by the storm.

Most of the flooding is said to have been caused by Scottish Water’s sewers overflowing, and some by gullies which the council say are working but have been unable to cope with the sheer volume of water.