Did the young STV reporter with the Ulster accent think she was speaking to a local councillor tonight in Largs when prompted by a chocolate shop owner, she accused Stephen Flynn, Transport Minister, personally and directly of having paved over storm drains.
The resurfacing of the road outside the shop was resurfaced by Amey in 2021 with further work after more flooding in 2025.
Might the flooding this time be due to the intensity of this storm?
Yes — the intensity of Storm Boelo was almost certainly a major factor in the scale of the flooding on Largs Main Street this time.
Storm Boelo (overnight 24–25 October 2026) brought:
- Gusts widely exceeding 80 mph, with peaks of 84–85 mph in western Scotland.
- Heavy rainfall that caused both surface-water and coastal flooding across parts of the west coast (including Largs, Dumbarton and Rothesay).
- Significant storm surge and high tides. Reports and the shop owner herself described the tide as “incredibly high” and the water levels as the highest she had seen in 26 years of trading. Seawater was reported flooding buildings and the seafront; debris was washed up, and further high tides were expected later in the day.
Toni Dawson of Geraldo’s explicitly described this event as far worse than previous ones and noted the extreme tide. Other local businesses also reported seawater or extreme flooding not limited to the previous rainwater runoff issues.
This Storm Boelo event, however, combined heavy rain with a substantial coastal surge and high tide. That is a different (and more extreme) driver than the previous surface-water problems alone. Coastal towns on the Ayrshire and wider west-coast frontage were widely affected by the same combination of wind, rain and elevated sea levels.
In short, while the pre-existing drainage shortcomings may have made the situation worse, the exceptional intensity of this storm, especially the high tide and storm surge, is the dominant reason the flooding reached the scale reported on 25 October.
Would further flood defences have prevented flooding from a storm of this intensity?
Further flood defences would likely have reduced the risk and severity, but it is unlikely they would have fully prevented flooding from a storm of Storm Boelo’s intensity. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15665-3
Is the problem the closeness of the shopping street to the shore unlike in some other towns such as Ayr?
Yes — the closeness of Largs’ main shopping street to the shore is a fundamental reason it is more vulnerable to coastal flooding than towns such as Ayr. https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/flooding/check-your-flood-risk/
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Oh dear. STV going the way of the state broadcaster? I don’t watch TV so it would be dishonest to say.
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Is STV even registered as a company in Scotland?
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That is not Stephen Flynn in thst photo for Starters When would Stephen Flynn have anything to do with the pavements in Largs AYRSHIRE he works in London and Lives in Aberdeen LIES
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He doesn’t work in London. He’s am MSP now.
God knows who the photo is of.
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Do journos do any science these days?
The storm is an extreme low pressure event which means the water level is able to rise, and combined with a high tide probably 5m or so and 80 mph winds what do they think is going to be the outcome ?
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As one would expect given Local Authority responsibilities, there is much information on the North Ayrshire Council website regarding flood risk, mitigation and protection.
This includes ‘Interim Progress Report on the 2nd Ayrshire Local Flood Risk Management Plan’ published by North Ayrshire Council, December 2025 – https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/Document-library/local-flood-risk-management-plan-progress.pdf
The document recounts the impacts of prior storms. It also itemises the local actions being taken by the Council with regard to flood protection, including in Largs and Saltcoats. It appears from this report that the work decided upon by the Council was on track in December last for completion.
On Storm Gerrit (December 2023) – ‘… contributed to flooding throughout North Ayrshire but the towns of Millport, West Kilbride, Largs and Fairlie experienced the most significant impacts.’ And: ‘ In Largs, various culvert improvements had been assessed previously but these assessments concluded that the improvement options were not economically viable. Instead, self-help measures should be promoted to affected residents.’
On Storm Eowyn (January 2025) – ‘… resulted in property damage in Saltcoats due to wave overtopping’ and the report notes ‘.. this was an extreme event and the impacts could not be predicted.’
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