Coldstream will naturally be concerned with immediate impact.
The floods hit Coldstream in the evening but thankfully no major issues were reported.
However there is a crucial sustainability issue that also needs to be considered.
On the Tweed, Ghillies cover the river beats, and speaking to one Ghillie who covers the Tweed between Coldstream and Cornhill, he was matter-of-fact when it came to the flooding and the inability to fish the river during the floods: “You just can’t fish!” and this is the recognition of many fishermen during the floods. We know of certainly one Welshman who travelled up for a day’s fishing on the Tweed, only to be greeted by a river that was 1/2 a mile wide in areas.
Needless to say that Fishing day was a “wash out”.
The flooding of Leet Water was high, not the highest, but enough to make cars, buses and people stop to look.
The area in the photos is a natural nursery for the Salmon and Trout: many parr are seen here. And the Leet Water is usually only 5ft wide,. But what is of concern to the Ghillies is the affect that this huge volume of water will have on the redds of the Salmon and the impact of it will only become apparent in 3-6 years time. The Tweed generates a lot of business and is one of the few places in Britain that the Atlantic Salmon can be caught reliably.
