Selkirk Rugby Club became a victim for the third time in recent years, and a campsite at Coldstream had to be evacuated when the Leet burst its banks during the town's civic week celebrations.

Watchful eyes continue to monitor the situation as forecasters continue to issue alerts.

During one alert on Tuesday into Wednesday this week police and council staff put contingency plans into operation. Overnight rain was recorded at around 13cms – Fife was less lucky. The Kingdom was hit by around 33cm swamping areas around Glenrothes and Freuchie.

But what is currently happening almost pales into insignificance compared to what happened in the Borders 60 years ago this week.

Over 24 hours during August 11 and 12 – after six days of rain – came what was to be known as the Great Flood. It affected all four Border counties and north Northumberland – but it was Berwickhire that took the brunt.

Flood water gathered from 2,000 square miles of the Tweed's catchment area converged on the Borders' most easterly – and low lying – county.

It left houses, farms and mills under feet of water. Families fled or were evacuated. More than 40 bridges were either swept away or rendered unsafe. Roads became rivers and rail routes were cut off.

And a massive loch a mile long and 28ft deep, containing around 400million gallons of water, threatened to breach a railway embankment and swamp areas of Eyemouth. It took until August 29 before this threat was removed.

It proved almost impossible to calculate the financial cost of the this flood. But in Berwickshire alone the figure was put at around £2million – that's around £40million at today's prices.

Amazingly, while livestock were swept to their deaths there was no loss of human life.

Weather experts declared it to be the second worst rainstorm ever recorded in the UK – falling just behind the Norfolk floods of August 26, 1912, in which many lives were lost.

By August 11 a weather depression was slowly moving across Britain. Four inches of rain fell during that day in the Borders. The 12th brought continued deluges. The River Tweed was measured at 17ft above its normal levels.