Council launches review after flood barriers not used during Storm Boelo

Renfrewshire Council will carry out a full review of its flood prevention arrangements after flood barriers were not used during Storm Boelo.

A report to the local authority confirmed forecasts before the storm "significantly underestimated tidal levels on the River Clyde".

As a result, no flood warning was issued and part of a multi-million pound defence scheme was not activated.

Local business owners later hit out at the local authority and told BBC Scotland News their premises had suffered serious damage.

The southern plant room, which controls the Renfrew Bridge, also suffered extensive damage, rendering the swing bridge inoperable.

It is expected to be closed to road users for months.

The council said it would now undertake "a comprehensive review" in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and other stakeholders.

It added this would help to "understand why the actual level of the River Clyde differed so significantly from forecast levels".

The review will also seek to "identify any improvements required to forecasting arrangements, warning systems, operational protocols and wider flood resilience measures".

The council said 13 businesses in the area suffered water ingress impact, although 10 are now back operating.

It said it had offered support to every business it had been able to contact.

The local authority also confirmed eight of the businesses affected were based on the river side of the barriers on Ferry Road.

No flood warnings were issued by Sepa for Renfrew ahead of Storm Boelo, which affected Scotland from 24 to 26 October.

And no concerns regarding exceptional tidal levels were raised through other partners.

However, the evening tide was recorded at 4.49m (14.72ft) - the highest since digital records began there in 1998.

That was about double the projected forecast of 2.2m to 2.42m (7.2ft to 7.9ft), figures below the council's 3.9m (12.8ft) threshold for raising the barriers.

The forecast also fell below the council threshold for sending staff to the barrier to assess the situation in person.

That threshold is set at 3.6m (11.8ft).

The council report said the decision not to use the barriers had followed "an established process" developed through "operational experience, historic events and flood risk assessments".

In the aftermath of the extreme weather the Renfrew Bridge was forced to close, but the council said this was unrelated to the flood barrier.

The bridge opened in May 2025 and is within its two-year defects period.

Both the contractor and the council's insurers are now investigating whether a defect was responsible for water getting in.

The review will also assess whether raising the barriers more often as a precaution could disrupt the local community.

The threshold for sending council staff to look at the barriers during bad weather has currently been reduced as a temporary measure while the review is carried out.

Gordon McNeil, the council's director of environment, housing and infrastructure, said: "While the report shows in some detail that officers followed the established procedures correctly... it is important we work with our partners to understand why the forecasting was significantly different from what we subsequently experienced."

He added the local authority would consider if a "more prudent approach" was needed in the future.

The £10m North Renfrew Flood Prevention Scheme was introduced in 2016 to reduce flood risk to homes, businesses and infrastructure in the area.

The scheme comprises a pumping station at Mill Burn on Fingal Road - which was in use during the storm - a 1km-long, 2.3m (7.5ft) high embankment and two barriers, built into Ferry Road and Fishers Road.