WATCH: We are as prepared as we can be for flooding this winter - are you?
Last updated 2nd Oct 2026
The councillor with responsibility for public safety and resilience at Scottish Borders Council says the local authority is “as prepared as it can be” for the winter ahead.
Robin Tatler is speaking to Greatest Hits Radio following a tour of a river monitoring station in the town which helps specialists understand changing river conditions and forms part of the wider picture used to forecast flooding.
A full review and recalibration of data and monitoring was completed earlier this year, using the latest rainfall and water-level data.
Now every at-risk householder in the region is being encouraged to sign up for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's improved flood forecasting and alerts system.
Councillor Tatler, who has pulled on his wellies to help co-ordinate relief efforts during recent flood events in Peebles, said: “There's no doubt that that data that comes from SEPA is really critical when it comes to the flooding situations.
“And regrettably, with climate change, it's going to happen again, unfortunately.
"I have a real foreboding about what's coming to us this autumn and into the winter, because of climate changes and climate factors elsewhere in the world.”
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Changes introduced in July also increased the number of local Flood Warning areas across the Scottish Borders from 30 to 32, with more targeted warnings introduced for communities around Selkirk and Preston to Paxton.
SEPA says the enhanced service is designed to better reflect local conditions and how flooding can affect individual communities.
The more targeted warning system has been welcomed by emergency planning officers in the Borders.
Brian MacFarlane, Assistant Emergency Planning Officer with Scottish Borders Council, said: “The great thing about working with SEPA is that we tend to get some warning ahead of any flooding events, so we can make preparations and be prepared.
“It's a devastating thing to be flooded out of your house and it can be a long-term impact.
“I remember coming up to Peebles and it was 12 months before some people moved back into their homes.”
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Gauging stations along all rivers in the Borders are continuously collecting data to help hydrologists understand the relationship between levels and water flow.
When combined with rainfall information and weather forecasts, computer modelling allows for specialist judgements to be made over potential flooding.
Eleanore Cooper, SEPA’s Head of Environmental Forecasting, Warning and Informing, said: “The improvements we introduced this summer mean we head into autumn and winter with a service that better reflects local conditions and how flooding can affect individual communities across the Borders.
“But a Flood Warning appearing on someone’s phone is the end of a much bigger process.
“Behind it is a network of river and rainfall monitoring, weather forecasts, computer models and specialist expertise helping us understand what is happening and what could happen next.
“People can pass one of our gauging stations without ever knowing what it is or what it is doing, but these sites are continually giving us information about our rivers.”
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