Rescue boats launched to save stranded motorists in Airdrie

Aug 20 2008 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

A RESCUE boat was needed to free motorists trapped by flash floods which cut off the road beside Airdrie railway station twice in 24 hours last week.

Five people were sailed to safety after a sudden downpour last Wednesday afternoon made trouble hotspot Broomknoll Street impassable, with two cars and even a lorry becoming stuck.

The flood waters cleared that evening but another torrent on Thursday afternoon meant firefighters were soon back at the same place, wading to safety with two pensioners who were trapped with water lapping near the windows of their Ford Fiesta.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue attended nine major Monklands call-outs in just over an hour as the heavens opened last Wednesday.

A boat was on standby as they rescued an elderly lady from a car on flooded Mill Street in Airdrie town centre, with firefighters using oxygen therapy to treat the lady for shock.

Dundyvan Road in Coatbridge was “totally submerged”, and firefighters rescued a driver and car from high water at Caldeen Road beside B&Q in Coatbridge.

They also used a “makeshift dam” to divert water from two houses in Bankhead Avenue, Craigneuk, and were alerted to floods at Dalmore Drive in Airdrie town centre, Cloister Avenue in Brownsburn, Uist Place in Petersburn and Woodlea Place in Rawyards.

Crews from Motherwell, Hamilton, Easterhouse, Cambuslang, Cowcaddens, Castlemilk, Knightswood and even Ayr were involved in attending to the deluge of local calls.

North Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Water issued a joint statement saying: “The road drainage, sewer and river drainage systems were all overloaded with the rainfall.

“Scottish Water and North Lanarkshire’s roads department are working closely with each other, and our investigations indicate the cause of the flooding is the intensity of the rain that hit the whole North Lanarkshire area.

“The sewer is simply not designed to cope with such abnormal levels of rain as those that were seen recently.

“We have been out to check our drains and pipes in the area and they are operating normally with no blockages.

“The combined sewer system in the area takes flows not only from waste water but also surface water that falls on the road and the roofs of buildings.”

Last Thursday’s incidents included pumping water away from the car park entrance to New Broomfield in a two-hour operation which concluded just 20 minutes before kick-off in the Uefa Cup tie between Queen of the South and Danish side Nordsjaelland.

Hundreds of fans missed the start of the match due to the traffic jams created by the road closures around the town.