THERE is "huge frustration" that long-standing flooding problems in Rosyth have still not been tackled.

Councillor Sam Steele hit out after heavy rain led to water surging into homes and businesses in the area a fortnight ago.

At the South and West Fife area committee last week, she said: "This has been going on for decades and there's huge frustration in Rosyth.

"It's not just Park Road as it's affecting Middlebank Street, Park Lea, Craig Street, Burnside too.

"There was a public meeting in 2017-18 and Fife Council were present, SEPA and Scottish Water too, and they reassured residents there were projects commencing and ongoing to deal with this."

She added: "People's houses are getting flooded, the hedgehog hospital was completely under water, it's just horrific and for the people that are having to deal with that year on year it looks for all the world that nothing is getting done.

"It's just really frustrating."

Dr Rick Haynes, the council's lead consultant on flooding, said 50-60 millimetres of rain fell overnight from Thursday, November 17 to Friday 18, with calls coming in to his team of four from across the Kingdom.

Committee convener David Barratt said the torrential downpours led to the water levels rising in the Brankholme Burn and flooding a business in Inverkeithing.

He also believed it could have backed up into the Keithing Burn, which flooded a house in the town.

Cllr Barratt added: "Most critically it was the Brankholme Burn that overtopped and flowed onto the main railway line which caused massive disruption across the country as a result.

"Anything we can do here, particularly on the Brankholme, will have benefits not just for Rosyth but to the wider rail network and Inverkeithing as well."

Dr Haynes told councillors there were three "interwoven" projects that should help to alleviate the problems but were being led by different organisations.

Scottish Water are looking at a flow transfer project, which would take a portion of flow from the Dunfermline sewer catchment and put it into the Iron Mills Bay catchment, without a need to upgrade any systems.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are considering a Water Environment Fund project to re-naturalise the Brankholme Burn.

And the council is commissioning a surface water management plan for Rosyth, and eight other areas in Fife, which will be issued as a single contract for consultants with action to be taken to tackle flooding.

Dr Haynes said the work should take 18-24 months and he hoped to put it out to tender this month.

He added: "Where Rosyth fits in with those nine projects to be delivered, by whichever consultant picks it up, will be up to them.

"I can't steer that. Every councillor with a surface water management plan in their area will rightly think that theirs should be dealt with first."

Cllr Brian Goodall had requested an update on flooding in Rosyth and said he was disappointed with the "lack of urgency".

He continued: "Frankly, I think the area where the councillor has been standing with somebody who has been put out of their home over the weekend, because of flooding coming into their home for the third time, is where the priority lies."

Previously, the council had set aside funding of £120,000 for 2021-22 and a further £125,000 in 2022-23 for flood works in the Park Road area.

However, Dr Haynes told the Press that until the results of the Scottish Water project, and more details on the WEF project, were known "it would be too early to spend the council funding committed to this problem”.