A retired Borders stonemason lays down a symbolic marker in his garden to commemorate last year's flooding

Retired stonemason Billy Armstrong (Thumbie) unveils his flood marker stone, with Community Councillor Greg Cuthbert and neighbours, Cathy Jamieson, Sandra Hope and Janet Moore. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)

More than 80 homes were flooded in Newcastleton when Storm Dennis struck in February 2020.

Further properties were flooded in February this year and preliminary bedrock drilling work is currently ongoing in a bid to find a long-term solution to the issue.

Meanwhile, life-long village resident and retired stonemason Billy Armstrong decided to build a stone wall marker in his garden as a symbolic reminder of just how high the waters reached during last year’s downpour.

Retired Stonemason Billy Armstrong (Thumbie) unveils his flood marker stone. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)

Greg Cuthbert, chairman of the village community council, said: “Billy has a house on the riverside and he’d never seen the water as high as it got on the 15th of February and he thought he’d put a marker stone out as to how high it got at his property in North Liddle Street.

"Because of lay of the land Billy’s house never got flooded, even though it is just 10 yards away from the riverside, but houses 200 yards away from the riverside did get flooded.”

Another marker is now planned to illustrate how far the water reached into the village last year.

Luckily, the village escaped flooding during last week’s heavy rainfall.

Greg added: “The way the village floods is forever changing and that makes it a difficult job for planners at SBC as they try to come up with any future flood mitigation.”