RESILIENCE volunteers in the Hillfoots recently joined forces with the council and the fire brigade to test innovative flood barriers ahead of winter.

Winter operations are being put into motion in Clackmannanshire as temperatures begin to fall and with climate change set to bring more extreme weather, additional tools have been purchased for flood groups in Alva and Tillicoultry.

Water-Gate flexible barriers, which can be deployed as a temporary measure in case of flooding to protect people and property, have recently been tested when volunteers came together at Alloa Fire Station.

The wet testing saw the fire brigade, Clackmannanshire Council and the volunteers come together to see the reusable barriers in action, which are portable and replace the need for hundreds of sandbags.

The volunteers are being supported by the local authority and other emergency responders and indeed, five towns have established resilience groups to respond at critical times.

One of the volunteers taking part was Bryan Denny from Alva Community Resilience Team (ACRT).

The group has already started winter preparations by removing rubbish, leaves and sticks from Carnaughton Burn.

Bryan said: “The Water-Gate barriers are a further great addition in our tool kit should the main Alva Burn flood; these barriers will be used to guide the water back into the channel preventing properties from being flooded as has happened previously.

“ACRT is very grateful to the council, Scottish Flood Forum and our other emergency services for the support they have shown us since we formed in 2020 to help prevent flooding in our community.

“Should you wish to be involved and help just get in touch via our social media pages.”

The local authority is gearing up for cold and inclement weather to ensure it can play its part in responding.

Cllr Craig Holden – spokesperson for partnership, third sector and digital strategy – joined the testing at the fire station and was impressed to see the barriers in action.

He said: “It’s a great alternative to sandbags and uses the weight of the water to hold the water back.

“I was also pleased to meet the volunteers from our local community resilience groups who are making our communities stronger and more resilient to emergencies by complementing the work of the council and the other emergency responders.”

Michael Henderson, station commander in Alloa, also joined the exercise with his crew.

He said: “This piece of equipment and our commitment to address the localised impact of climate change will reduce the risk to our communities.

“SFRS continues to work in partnership to provide resilience in the local area.”

Communities are also being encouraged to take steps to prepare homes, families and businesses for the unexpected this winter – visit ready.scot/prepare for more details.