FOULFORD ROAD in Cowdenbeath was closed for five hours last night (Tuesday) as Fife Council dealt with another incident of flooding.

The busy street has once again had to be shut off to traffic after rainfall.

Service Manager Bill Liddle said the council is aware of flooding issues in the area and investigations into the cause are ongoing.

He added: "We closed the road between 11pm and 4am last night while we dealt with the flooding. No properties were affected."

Cowdenbeath Cllr Darren Watt said: "It's clear this is much more than a couple of blocked drains and Fife Council must speed up it's investigation into the cause.

"Local residents, the pub owners and motorists are absolutely exasperated with the slow response and lack of meaningful action.

"I will press this with council officers as a matter of urgency."

Although no properties were affected, local residents have expressed concern over the ongoing flooding of the road.

Troubled waters on Foulford Road

The Times told you in October that heavy rainfall led to police closing the road and directing traffic away from the area as the water was "knee-height in places," Cllr Watt had said.

Following three separate flooding incidents within that three-week period, affected residents from Foulford Road met with Fife Council officers, as well as local councillors, to share their experiences and ongoing concerns, and demand urgent action to prevent further incidents - such as last night's latest example.

On Friday, October 29, the stretch of road between The Glen Tavern and Leuchatsbeath Drive had to be once again closed to local traffic.

That case of flooding occurred during the day and had "a profound impact on local residents and school pupils as the road and footpaths were completely impassable causing great distress and inconvenience for many people and was the final straw for the occupiers of nearby homes", Cllr Watt said.

An onsite meeting was arranged for November 5 and, speaking to the Times after the meeting, Cllr Watt commented: "Over the years, I have been present when flooding occurs, including most recently, and this is the worst I have seen.

“Concerningly, the rain wasn’t particularly heavy, yet the floodwater was at knee height very quickly and causing great distress and inconvenience to local households, residents, commuters, and school pupils.

“The meeting itself was understandably tense but it was good for Council Officers to hear first-hand how local people have been affected and how anxious and fearful they are as we head into winter.

“I was told a couple of drains were cleared the day before the meeting, however, that clearly isn’t enough to ease concerns, so it was agreed for other nearby drains to be cleared and for a camera survey to be carried out as soon as possible and ascertain if there are any issues with the culvert itself. The worst-case scenario is the culvert could’ve have collapsed at some point, resulting in water backing up and breaching at the weakest point. This type of repair could run into high six figures and certainly wouldn’t be a quick or easy fix. Until the survey verifies the issue, we can only hope for a dryer spell and if there is any rain, hopefully the drains are running freely enough to prevent further flooding."