Major mop-up in parts of Inverness after floods inflict damage and cause havoc for some local businesses; Tesco's Inshes store and Vue Cinema worst hit by water damage
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Inverness was yesterday in the midst of a major mop-up operation after flash floods caused destruction and temporary closure for a number of businesses.
A massive thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon brought an hour-long torrential downpour to the city after days of exceptionally dry and warm weather.
One supermarket and a cinema complex were badly-hit by the extraordinary deluge, while a city centre car park was closed after a river of water swept through it, overwhelming protective sandbags.
Frightened customers fled Tesco supermarket at the Inshes Retail Park on Sunday after heavy rain damaged the roof and parts of the ceiling began to collapse.
Firefighters were called in to help deal with the flooding, but there were no reports of any injuries.
One shopper at Tesco Inshes said: "It was insane. You could hear the rain and then there was some water dripping from the ceiling.
“When the tiles started to crash down, people went straight to the exit. I'm not sure how many fell but they were in several areas of the shop."
A Tesco spokesman said: "Our Inverness Inshes Extra store is temporarily closed while we assess some damage to the roof.
“We're sorry for any inconvenience. We're working to reopen as soon as possible.”
The spokesman confirmed some stock had been damaged by the roof leaks, adding: "Due to health and safety, other businesses (within the store building) will not be able to open until the building is safe.”
These included opticians Vision Express and City Barbers, neither of which were directly affected by the ceiling collapse.
Adjacent Dobbies Garden Centre was partially closed on Sunday and was operating a restricted entrance and exit system given the damage at Tesco, with which it shares an entrance
With car parks swamped by water, the nearby Matalan store closed for a short period on Sunday, but escaped flooding inside. It was soon open for business as usual.
There was severe flooding at Vue Cinema within Inverness Shopping Park, with social media footage showing a large pool of water forming in the main foyer, sith the company promising refunds to affected customers.
Streets including Old Edinburgh Road were left underwater for a period of time as drains struggled to cope.
The dramatic deluge also caused problems at Eastgate Shopping Centre.
A powerful torrent of water flowing down Crown Road flooded level three of the phase one car park, which was closed from Sunday afternoon through to yesterday morning.
Jackie Cuddy, the shopping centre’s manager, said: “Our main problem with the heavy rain and floods was that the drains couldn’t cope with the sheer volume of water.
“It was so powerful coming down the hill it actually moved the sandbags we’d put down.
“We had to close level three of the older car park until this morning as a result, but levels one and two were unaffected.”
Highland Council reported no problems with any of its properties in the area, including schools which re-opened for the new term today. NHS Highland similarly avoided serious issues.
