A TWEEDDALE councillor has backed proposals for more protection in Peebles after the town was hit by severe flooding last week.

Peebles was among the areas worst affected by heavy rain last Thursday, with the council warning that the situation on the River Tweed was “worsening rapidly”.

But Scottish Borders Council (SBC) says that, other than “some significant road surface damage” on a section of the A701 near Macbiehill and Lamancha, the region has come out relatively unscathed.

Tweeddale East councillor Robin Tatler, part of the resilience team which offered support in the town, said residents were “understandably anxious about the speed that the Tweed rose”.

The independent representative added: “Everyone in Peebles is really grateful for the excellent response and vigilance put in by volunteers and workers during the course of what was a very challenging 24 hours.

“Although on this occasion Peebles has been relatively unscathed we need to continue to keep an eye on the Tweed whenever there’s a continuous period of heavy rain forecast.

“Longer term I support the proposals currently under consideration for some form of flood protection scheme in Peebles as it is likely we will see more high river events in the future, and we have seen how flood protection is already making a huge difference in Hawick and other Borders towns.”

The council ran a joint consultation with SEPA from July to October this year on the flood risk in a number of Borders locations.

A flood protection scheme for Peebles was put forward as part of the consultation.