RESIDENTS in Lochwinnoch are pushing for the ecological restoration of Renfrewshire’s hills in a bid to tackle flooding issues.

Torrential downpours wreaked havoc across the village last week as the River Calder temporarily turned some stretches of road into waterways.

David Mellor, chair of Lochwinnoch Community Council, said frequent floods have become a pressing problem.

“I can’t see any short-term measures that could be made immediately to prevent this,” he told The Gazette.

“The big issue is that the River Calder runs from the Renfrewshire Moors and there are no trees or water restraint at the top.

“At the moment, it’s a big open sloping area, so the rainwater hits the moors and then rushes down into the River Calder.

“I think if this problem isn’t addressed soon, the floods will get bigger and the homes of people in the area will be at risk.”

The community council is supporting the work of local environmental charity Eadha, which is leading the Yearn Stane Project, along with environmental agency Starling Learning.

The project aims to plant thousands of native trees in the Renfrewshire Heights wild area, which is part of Muirshiel Country Park.

Eroding peatlands will also be reinstated to store carbon and water.

Project leader Joe Greenlees said: “So far we have planted around 500 trees in small areas around Muirshiel Country Park, where we’ve replaced non-native Sitka spruce tree with native aspens.

“However, much of the Renfrewshire Heights is peatland, which is unsuitable for tree planting.

“What is really needed is for the bog to be restored, which would help prevent water and peat from coming down the hills.

“Research in other areas has shown you can knock 30 per cent off your flood peak if you restore your bog, so I think over a five or a ten-year period, we would be looking to start seeing those results.”

To find out more, search for Yearn Stane Project on Facebook.

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