Selkirk flood scheme wall is flaking away

The issue was brought to members of Selkirk Community Council on Monday evening in unique fashion.

Resident Anthony Jackson waited until the open forum section of the meeting to reveal his findings – and placed a carrier bag with pieces of the wall which had flaked away onto the table as proof.

This decorative wall at the bottom of Corbylinn Road is flaking away, just over one year after the Selkirk Flood Protection Scheme was officially opened.

He told us: “The wall is coming down.

“Where the actual flood wall is rebar frame and poured concrete, this wall is like a dry stane dyke, but is held together with cement rather than the stones fitting together, and it’s the cement that is just rotting away.

“The wall is at the bottom of the Corbylinn Road and it has cracked so much at the bottom it’s almost right through.

“The rest of it, you can flick the cement off with your finger.

“It doesn’t bode well for the rest of the scheme.”

He added: “Also, in the Angle Field, they spent a lot of money putting nice wee curves in, and it’s washing away already.

“They said it would last a lifetime. It might well last mine, but an awful lot of other folk will be disappointed at this rate.

“They seem to have spent an awful lot of money doing the fancy stuff, before concentrating on the basics.”

Councillor Gordon Edgar stated at the meeting: “The council will get R.J. McLeod to repair it as it is still in the period of liability.”