Renfrewshire Council is reviewing how it protects Renfrew from flooding after Storm Boelo sent the River Clyde to its highest level since digital records began in the town.
A paper going to the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board on Wednesday 4 November sets out what happened over the weekend of 24 and 25 October, what information officers had, and the decisions taken as a result.
A record tide nobody forecast
The evening tide at Renfrew reached 4.49m, the highest recorded there since digital records began in 1998.
The forecasts available before the storm told a very different story. The highest predictions were between 2.2m and 2.42m, well below the council's thresholds for sending staff out (3.6m) or raising the barriers (3.9m). There was no SEPA flood warning for Renfrew, and no concerns were raised through the Local Resilience Partnership. As a result, the Renfrew flood barriers were not activated.
Businesses affected
Thirteen businesses had water get inside. Eight of those are on the river side of the barriers, so they would have flooded even if the barriers had been raised. Ten of the 13 are now back open, and the council is offering support to those affected.
Renfrew Bridge
The storm also badly damaged the southern plant room of Renfrew Bridge, leaving the swing bridge inoperable and closed to road users for months. The council says this is unrelated to the flood barriers. The bridge opened in May 2025 and is still within its two-year defects period, and the contractor and insurers are investigating whether a defect allowed water in.
What the council says
Gordon McNeil, Renfrewshire Council's Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure, said: “This report is an important step in setting out the facts surrounding the response to Storm Boelo, the information available and the decisions taken as a result. A number of Renfrew businesses and individuals experienced flooding that weekend and we of course acknowledge the difficult time they faced.
“While the report shows in some detail that officers followed the established procedures correctly, based on the information they were provided with by partners as part of established planning arrangements, it is important we work with our partners to understand why the forecasting was significantly different from what we subsequently experienced.
“The Council, like all local and national governments, must also consider whether, in the event climate impacts are increasing in severity, we should introduce a more prudent approach to our operational procedures to protect residents and businesses from this uncertainty as best we can. The review will also consider what the trade-offs and costs of such an approach might be.”
What happens next
The review will look at whether the barriers should be raised at a lower threshold, weighing that against the disruption of raising them more often as a precaution when it may turn out not to be needed. In the meantime, temporary lower thresholds are already in place for sending teams to check conditions and raising the North Renfrew barriers if required.
The £10m North Renfrew Flood Prevention Scheme was completed in 2016. It includes the Mill Burn pumping station, a 1km embankment and flood barriers at Ferry Road and Fishers Road.
Photo: Renfrew Bridge.