Freuchie residents whose homes were wrecked by floods in August have set up an official action group dedicated to improving the village's flood prevention measures.

Freuchie Flood Action Group met for the first time last night (Thursday) as victims continue to struggle to come to terms with the devastating events of August 13. (Minutes of the meeting can be read here.)

Most of the residents from the worst-hit area, Freuchie Mill, are still unable to return to their homes.

They face repair bills of up to £40,000, a situation made worse for some by the fact they had no insurance.

Amongst those was Kay Henderson, who was so caught up in her wedding preparations that she overlooked her home contents policy renewal.

Now living in rented accommodation, Kay and her husband Jim learned of the damage to their home while they were at Heathrow Airport en route home from their honeymoon - and they happened to see a photograph of Freuchie Mill in a national newspaper.

Kay said: "Like everyone in Freuchie affected by the flooding, our lives have been turned totally upside down.

"Having had such a wonderful, magical wedding and honeymoon we never dreamed we would come back down to earth with such a devastating bump.

"The utter dismay, helplessness, major inconvenience, expense and stress caused by this cannot be put into words."

In addition to the damage caused to people's homes, some £120,000 worth of cars were destroyed as the floodwater engulfed the cul-de-sac.

Founder John Thomson, who lost everything on the ground floor of his Freuchie Mill home, said that it was felt that forming a flood action group was the only way that 'people would sit up and take notice.'

Issues that the group want to investigate include

• the extent to which the improvements made to Network Rail's aqueduct played a part;
• the size of the nearby culvert and
• the planning policy that allowed the houses to be built on an area with a history of flooding.
  
  

Mr Thomson said: "There was no single cause of the flooding that night. "There was exceptional rainfall and a number of factors came together to cause unprecedented devastation.

"By forming a flood action group, we hope to act as a single voice for the residents of Freuchie to bring about improved flood protection and prevention."

Local councillor David MacDiarmid, who is supporting the group, revealed that Network Rail had offered to help fund a hydrology study that he hoped would shed light on the causes of the floods and help prevent them happening in the future.

He praised Fife Council  and Kingdom Housing Association, who he said were doing all they could for the Freuchie Mill residents, including extending and improving the culvert.

In the meantime, another meeting is planned for Wednesday, October 8, this time organised by Freuchie Community Council.

Visit the Freuchie Flood Action Group blog