BARRATT Homes have said they are willing to work with Fife Council to try and resolve persistent flooding in Dalgety Bay.

Last month the local authority said repeated attempts had been made to get the company to act, as they own Longhill Park where the problems stem from, but there had been no reply.

Residents in Lade Braes have long been affected by rainwater flowing downhill from the park and flooding their gardens and homes, and the council said they'd had to step in as Barratt had shown no interest in helping.

The Press contacted Barratt Homes and a spokesperson responded: "We are sorry that local residents have experienced some flooding issues on Longhill Park.

"We are working with Fife Council to understand who has responsibility for maintaining this land and for managing any flood risks.

"Our aim is for this matter to be resolved as soon as possible.”

Local councillor Dave Dempsey, who has been highlighting the flooding issues since 2019, sounded a note of caution.

He said: "My experience of Barratt is that they sometimes find someone who seems helpful and pro-active and very quickly communication ceases and nothing comes back.

"Whether somebody further up the tree is telling them not to pursue it, I don't know.

"It's a historical oddity that they own big chunks of the town, including parks, woodlands and even grass verges, but Barratt really don't care.

"Their line is that sometime in the past, it would have been in the days of Dunfermline District Council, which tells you how long ago it was, they paid a lump sum in return for the council maintaining lots of bits of ground in the town in perpetuity.

"But no-one seems to be able to produce any documentary evidence of this agreement."

At the South and West Fife area committee last month, Dr Rick Haynes, the council's lead consultant for flooding, shorelines and harbours, said they had tried on a number of occasions to speak to Barratt Homes and never received a response.

This week he told the Press: "We've been in touch with the appropriate team within Barratt Homes and are now looking to work with them to find a solution to the situation at Dalgety Bay."

Barratt own Longhill Park and in the 1980s a drainage system was put in place that now no longer works properly.

The issue is complicated as Scottish Water said that system shouldn't have been permitted and therefore can't be replaced.

Cllr Dempsey said: "It's been going on for a very long time, decades really, and a lot of residents seem to have just got used to it, but they shouldn't have to get used to it.

"Flooded gardens are bad enough but rotting foundations for the houses are a serious concern.

"It's almost more frustrating as normally the main problem is coming up with the funding, but here we have the money and it's another problem that's held it up for years."

Scottish Water said they were aware that residents in Dalgety Bay have been experiencing flooding issues "over a number of years".

A spokesperson added: "Fife Council have been leading on trying to find a solution to the problem of surface water flooding in this area and we have been liaising closely with them.

"Part of their thinking was a request to permit drainage connection into the public sewer system.

"Unfortunately we were unable to agree to this connection, as it is illegal for Scottish Water to knowingly accept applications to connect land drainage into the public sewer network.

"We commend Fife Council who have stepped in to develop measures to reduce the risk of the flooding here, as this responsibility should sit with the landowner.

"We have highlighted the need to consider sustainable drainage systems that mimic natural drainage and that do not include the need to connect to the public sewer system."