FIFE Council plan to spend £2 million on measures to prevent the flooding that ruined homes in Cardenden in August – but work won’t start until 2024.

A report has acknowledged that not enough water was able to flow under the Den Burn Bridge on Cardenden Road and that this was a “significant contributor” to the problems that saw the village left looking like a swamp.

Councillors will be told today that plans to strengthen the bridge, to address a previous issue, will now be shelved and a replacement structure will be built instead, to increase the span.

Ken Gourlay, head of assets, transportation and environment, said: “Public feedback during recent flooding in Cardenden suggested that the bridge capacity was a barrier to flow and therefore a contributory factor to the flooding.

“A recent flood study of the area, undertaken by consultants on behalf of Fife Council, confirmed that capacity for flow under the bridge is indeed a significant contributor to flood risk. It would therefore be considered inappropriate to strengthen the structure within its existing geometry and this will now be promoted as a bridge replacement project.”

His report to the economy, tourism, strategic planning and transportation sub committee said the design of the new bridge on the B981 will involve the flooding, shoreline and harbours team and there was provision in the capital plan to cover the estimated £2m cost.

However Mr Gourlay added: “Due to the level of investment required and to work within the available bridges budget allocation, this has been programmed between two financial years, 2024/25 and 2025/26.”

More than 20 homes on Cardenden Road were badly damaged by the floods in August when incessant rain fell and left parts of the village under water. During the clean-up, Sepa were alerted to the problem by villagers who demanded action to prevent a repeat.

David Taylor, secretary of Cardenden Community Council, said: “It needs a bigger capacity. During heavy rain there isn’t enough room under the bridge, it’s inhibiting the flow of the water.

“The other problem was the debris that got trapped and caused the water to back up, which also contributed to the flooding. The good news is they’ve acknowledged there’s a problem and are going to do something about it.

“The timing is the down side. Hopefully we can push to get it done before 2024, or keep our fingers crossed there aren’t any more deluges like the one in August.”

He added: “We also asked about getting some sort of screen further upstream, more of a short term measure, to stop the debris filling up the burn. I don’t think that would cost a lot.”

Last week MSP Alex Rowley highlighted the flooding issues relating to the bridge and added that Fife Council had been given “little support” by the Scottish Government in terms of funding and had been “overwhelmed by the number of flood incidents”.