Lochaber Times From our Files - Thursday March 13

Gregor Mews finished in third place in the Rotary Young Chef regional final, which covers the whole of Scotland and the north of England, after coming runner-up at the district final in East Kilbride in January.

 

The contestants were awarded points out of a possible total of 150 and Gregor was beaten by just one point by the second placed contestant, who was only one point down on the winner, Heather Nisbet, from Stonehaven.

 

Heather will now go on to the grand final of Great Britain and Ireland to be held in Wrexham in April.

 

Gregor attended the event at Dundee and Angus College with his parents, Paul and Elizabeth, his grandmother, and Ken Johnston, of the Rotary Club of Lochaber.

 

This was the sixth year that Scottish Rotary clubs has participated in this competition and, by the time it reaches the grand final, 1,100 clubs and 6,500 schoolchildren throughout Britain and Ireland will have taken part.

 

The head judge said the standards improved every year, adding that any of this year’s Scottish finalists would have won last year’s national competition.

 

And he made special mention of Gregor’s starter of caramelised red onion and goat’s cheese tartlet, with hazelnut dressing and caramelised hazelnuts, and his dessert of chocolate and raspberry fondant, with raspberry coulis.

 

Gregor, who hopes to take up a career in catering, was delighted with his award, but disappointed to have been beaten by such a small margin.

 

Hundreds of Fort homes in danger

 

Hundreds of homes in the Fort William area are at risk of flooding and existing defences cannot be guaranteed to give protection.

 

That is the worrying forecast of a new report which spells out for the first time the impact of future flood events in Fort William, Caol and Inverlochy and Corpach.

 

It says 80 homes and businesses are highly likely to flood at least once within the next decade.

 

These properties are said to have a 10 per cent chance of flooding each year.

 

And as many as 400 homes and businesses, together with the A830 Road to the Isles, the Fort William to Mallaig railway and scheduled monuments, including Inverlochy Castle, the Caledonian Canal, Neptune’s Staircase, the remains of Cromwell’s Fort and Inverlochy Battlefield, are facing a medium risk of flood.

 

Sixty stretches of road, seven electricity sub stations and a nursing home are also in the high risk category.

 

And two schools, a nursing home, a fire station, 110 stretches of road and 80 sections of railway line are at medium risk.

 

The statistics have been revealed in a report by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and Highland Council.

 

And the properties identified as being in at risk areas include Caol Primary School, Upper Achintore Primary School, Moss Park Care Home at Lochyside and Fort William Fire Station at Carmichael Way.

 

Experts warn that rock armour around the mouth of the River Lochy is not capable of giving maximum protection.

 

A flood scheme to protect Caol from coastal flooding is dependent on the Scottish Government for funding and is not yet shovel-ready.

 

Surface water - the most challenging type of flooding to prevent - is by far the biggest threat to homes and businesses in Fort William and Corpach.

 

However, little is known about its cause and the main risk areas are still being identified.

 

The report has sparked calls for the local authority and SEPA to build barriers and divert waterways, but it could be several years before funding is available.

 

Since 2001, there have been five surface water floods in Caol, plus a coastal flood caused by a storm surge on Loch Linnhe in 2005.

 

Five floods, caused mainly by blocked culverts and gullies, have been recorded in Fort William since 2001.

 

And Corpach suffered a storm surge on Loch Linnhe in 2005. The area was also affected in 2001, 2009 and 2010 by minor river flooding and surface water flooding.

 

Potential remedial measures include building a £7 million flood protection scheme at Caol. But residents may have to wait seven years as the next cycle of funding runs from 2016 to 2022.

 

Meanwhile a flood warning system is in place to predict flood events.