Flooding damages city properties

About 40 firefighters had to deal with the flooding in Dundee

Flooding has caused severe damage to properties in Dundee city centre.

About 40 firefighters dealt with the deluge, which began at about 1715 BST on Thursday. The area around Commercial Street and Trades Lane was badly hit.

Basements were flooded, sewage was coming up through toilets and one property had a lift shaft flooded.

Firefighters tackled severe flooding which affected the railway line at Inverkeilor, near Arbroath, which resulted in trains being cancelled.

The line was expected to remain closed on Friday, with an alternative bus service being run.

Tayside Fire and Rescue incident commander, Stewart Edgar, said it was the worst flooding he had seen in Dundee for many years.

"There was a deluge of rain and that, incorporated with the high tide, produced severe flooding," he said.

"There was about two-to-three feet of water affecting many residential and commercial properties.

"We've got dry suits, we've got wading polls, we've got lines, we've got rescue sleds - all that equipment was put to good use."

City hairdresser Karen Smith said the flooding caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to her salon, on Commercial Street.

Water had to be pumped from this basement after the toilets overflowed

She said: "The water started to flood over the toilets like a river and, within about 15 minutes, it was up to about six or seven inches all through my basement.

"My stock's ruined it's just been an absolute nightmare."

Suhail Akhtar, the managing director of SA Computer World, on Trades Lane, told the BBC Scotland news website that water flooded into his store when a customer opened the door.

"It's gone right underneath the counter, right to the back wall, to the stock room," he said.

"Even with the doors locked the water kept coming in.

"I've got no idea how much it's going to cost, but I don't think I'll be open for at least a couple of weeks."