The scale of local damage from the heavy rainfall during the festive period shocked community councillors in Newtonhill when they were told the details at their last meeting. 

Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore Community Council heard of damage to properties throughout the area. 

In Newtonhill, one house was devastated after the Elsick burn ran through the lower floors, washed away paths, undermined garage foundations, and knocked over walls. The owner has had to move out until major repairs are carried out. 

Two bridges at Newtonhill beach have been affected with the supports being eroded by the volume of water from the Elsick Burn. One bridge is no longer in place. 

Power and water supplies to houses were interrupted as the burn became so swollen that it burst its banks in various places. Parts of the valley slopes became unstable, causing landslides. 

A right of way from Newtonhill to Cammachmore going past the Mill of Elsick has been closed by Aberdeenshire Council after the burn swept aside walls and scoured out the path. 

A number of homes at West Cammachmore were badly affected when a water course burst its banks and flooded properties, with two properties being devastated. A wall was also destroyed by the water. 

Footbridges between Newtonhill and Muchalls over the Pheppie Burn were washed away. 

The path from Muchalls to the beach was closed after landslides. 

Councillor Alison Evison, Councillor Ian Mollison, and Councillor Carl Nelson – who all represent the area – were at the meeting to hear what happened. All three had each visited different scenes of the damage.  

Councillor Mollison told the meeting: “I have not known anything like this in the 40 years I have lived here.” 

A series of crashes on the A90 dual carriageway at Portlethen has prompted local Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Mollison to call for further investigations to see if there is a common cause. 

He explained: “The recent crashes have caused huge tail-backs on the A90 as morning commuters try to get to work. The delays have been horrendous. 

“Thankfully there have been no fatalities or serious injuries.  

“However accidents keep happening at the flyover to Badentoy and Asda. In one crash a five-car pile-up caused eight miles of tailbacks during rush hour on 7 January. The for a second time in 48 hours commuters to Aberdeen faced more traffic chaos when three vehicles were in a crash on the northbound A90 at Portlethen.  

“The flyover and its access roads were fine when they were built, but I understand they are not at today’s standards. The sightlines and the merge lanes do not meet today’s more exacting criteria. 

“There’s more traffic and everyone is in a rush.  

“Although some work has been done recently at the roundabout at the entrance to the Badentoy industrial estate, is it sufficient? 

“I have asked the police and Transport Scotland – who are responsible for the A90 – to see if there is any common link. Too many accidents are happening there for it just to be co-incidence. 

“One Portlethen constituent told me that she is very worried about the number of accidents happening at the flyover on an almost daily basis during the morning rush hour. She feels people are driving too fast and the sliproad is too short.  

“Her suggestion is for the speed limit to be reduced to 40mph at the morning rush hour on the northbound carriageway. I am not so sure as that may cause other problems, but I have asked the police and Transport Scotland to consider her suggestion.”

Drivers could be dicing with death after safety barriers were removed above a collapsed culvert on the South Deeside Road.

Flood water washed away subsoil under the B9077 road on the outskirts of Aberdeen leaving the route close to collapse, though the surface appeared intact.

The road has been closed between Elm Cottage and Banchory Devenick Church.

But barriers put in place for drivers’ safety have been repeatedly removed, meaning motorists could be risking their lives to shave only minutes off their commuting time.

Local councillor Ian Mollison warned that lives could be in danger as a result. He said: “The road was closed after a collapsing culvert was discovered on Monday 24 December. 

“Notices were put up by Aberdeenshire Council diverting traffic across the River Dee via the Milltimber Bridge and the Bridge of Dee.” 

However at the weekend Councillor Mollison found that the barriers had been opened and traffic was squeezing past the obstruction, not realising how dangerous it was. 

He said: “At a casual glance drivers would wonder why the road was shut. However on closer inspection it is obvious that the road could collapse. 

“I was shocked to see that the barriers had been pulled to the side. I hate to think what the consequences might be, especially at night.” 

The Liberal Democrat continued: “I contacted council officials and the barriers were replaced, and reinforced with sandbags. However once again drivers pulled them aside. 

“Repairs will be put in hand from Thursday. The emergency closure notice lasts for three weeks, and I am assured by roads officials they are confident it can be completed in that time. 

“Meanwhile I appeal to drivers to follow the diversion, no matter how inconvenient. The council does not close a road without good reason. And that reason could be to save your life.”

• Update: The road reopened on Friday 11 January. Workmen said that drivers were still trying to get past as they were fixing the subsidence under the road. Every morning when they arrived at the scene the bollards and barriers had been thrown aside.

Flooding has destroyed a bridge at Maryculter, cutting off the local community hall and football pitch. 

Fast-flowing water swept away the foundations of the crossing over the Corbie Burn, near the Mill Inn at Maryculter. 

The loss of the bridge means nearby Corbie Hall and its football pitch are now cut off apart from an emergency access which will need to be upgraded before it could be used. 

Councillor Ian Mollison said: “The bridge is now lying at an angle, with the foundations badly damaged by the recent heavy rains. 

“This is a major challenge for the local community. Although it is a private bridge, I have asked Aberdeenshire Council officials if they can provide any help and advice. The hall plays a key role in the social life of the community. It is well used by local community groups including guides, an under fives group and the community council. 

“Along with Cllrs Carl Nelson and Alison Evison I attended a meeting of residents to discuss how to tackle the problem. Thousands of pound may be needed to remove the bridge, carry out repairs, and replace it. In the meantime access needs to be maintained.”

• Update, 12 January: The bridge has been lifted to the side and work is under way stabilising the banks of the burn so that new foundations can be put in place.
• 30 January: The bridge is back, though not yet open to vehicles as the approaches need reinstated. The bridge is at a higher level than previously, to allow more water to flow underneath.
• And finally: The bridge is back in operation.

More and more people are using trains in Kincardineshire, according to figures from the North East transport partnership Nestrans.

In just one year – between 2009/10 and 2010/11 – patronage at Portlethen has grown by 21%, at Laurencekirk by 15%, and at Stonehaven by 9%. In comparison the number of passengers using Aberdeen and Dyce has risen by 12%, at Inverurie by 18%, and at Huntly and Insch by 7% and 5% respectively.

The average growth in rail station usage across Scotland between 2009/10 and 2010/11 was just 4%.

North Kincardine Councillor Ian Mollison – who is a substitute member of the Nestrans board – commented: “There is an increasing demand for a dependable and frequent rail service in the North East. The recent timetable changes which see more trains stop at the three Kincardineshire stations are most welcome.

“Hopefully more people can let the train take the strain, with fewer cars on the roads. It is important that Portlethen residents in particular take advantage of the extra services that are stopping in the town. 

“These figures strongly support the case for new stations at Kintore, Newtonhill, and elsewhere in the area. It looks as if the Scottish Government will go ahead with re-opening Kintore station. The next in line should be Newtonhill, particularly with major development planned for nearby Chapelton of Elsick.”

A Newtonhill woman is up in arms over a lack of buses on 3 January. The Thursday will be a normal working day for many people, but services are being curtailed by Stagecoach.

North Kincardine councillor Ian Mollison has contacted Stagecoach to see if anything can be done at this late stage.

He said: “Although many people benefit from a long break over Christmas and New Year, many others do not.

“I have written to Stagecoach managing director Andrew Jarvis to ask if this has been taken into account.”

Councillor Mollison had been contacted by the Newtonhill resident who said: “They are running a Saturday service during the day which will affect quite a lot of people going to work early in the morning – lots of people are back to work on the 3^rd.”

She found out about the changes when she was planning a trip to London.

“I was very disappointed when I picked up the timetable for this period.

“I am flying back from London and I don’t get into Dyce until 9pm. There are no buses to get into Aberdeen or to get from the city to Newtonhill.

“What has happened to public transport? I realise that bus drivers need holidays the same as everyone else but normally the buses have been back to normal on 3 January.

 “As far as I can see there has been no early indication that the buses would not run to their normal timetable until now.

 “It is probably too late to do anything for this year but surely this situation is not right? There are lots of people will not be able to afford taxis and this will probably not help the drink-drive situation!”

• UPDATE, January 2013: Stagecoach say that buses were available, but perhaps their publicity was not clear enough about the services on offer.

Local bus services will have more legroom, a move which was welcomed this week by North Kincardine Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Mollison. 

He said: “I was approached by a Newtonhill resident who told me how uncomfortable it was travelling on some buses because of the lack of legroom between seats.

“I have some sympathy with his complaint as I am 6ft and find it awkward sometimes on buses and planes. It is not too bad if it is a short distance, but longer distances can be most uncomfortable.

 “The resident told me it is impossible to sit correctly as an average male of 5ft11ins on some services – ‘I have experience back pain by the time I’ve reached Aberdeen around an hour later.’ ” 

The councillor continued: “I have now been told that Stagecoach Bluebird is introducing seven new vehicles with high back seats and space for only 40 seated passengers. The extra space should hopefully resolve this problem.” 

Managing director Andrew Jarvis wrote to Cllr Mollison that “these buses will provide ample legroom for passengers. I understand that legroom is important, however under exceptional circumstances we may have to use older buses.” 

Mr Jarvis also updated Cllr Mollison on plans for a smartcard on local services. He said that Stagecoach is currently sourcing a smartcard facility with top-up capabilities very similar to the Oyster card system in London. It is expected to come into service in the summer of 2013.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party to have constistently made the case for home rule for Scotland, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore told local party members and supporters at the weekend.

Mr Moore was the guest speaker at the annual dinner of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency party. In a rousing speech he said that nobody else is making the case for home rule in a federal United Kingdom apart from the Liberal Democrats.

“Scotland can be independent,” he said, “but undoubtedly we are better off within the United Kingdom. The SNP have not done their thinking about independence – that’s how thin their case is. Too many questions remain unanswered.”

In contrast the Liberal Democrats have set out their vision with the publication of a report by the Home Rule and Community Rule Commission, chaired by Sir Menzies Campbell MP: scotlibdems.org.uk/homerule

Mr Moore also set out the some of the positive differences the Liberal Democrats are making in the UK government, including a triple lock on pensions, no identity cards, and raising the starting point for paying tax – which will benefit 160,000 Scots from April.

Earlier Michael Moore discussed his speech with North Kincardine councillor Ian Mollison, Stonehaven councillor Peter Bellarby and West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Sir Robert Smith.