PEOPLE living in Kilwinning are being offered free flood warning advice at a special event this week.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is calling on locals to get flood aware by attending a special drop-in session on the flood warning scheme for the River Garnock on Wednesday 27 September.

Those who pop along will join thousands of people who already benefit from the free Floodline service in Scotland.

More than 1,600 homes and businesses at risk of flooding can directly benefit from the flood warning scheme which SEPA launched earlier this year.

The scheme is based on state-of-the-art flood forecasting models and provides advance warning when flooding is predicted.

The scheme covers areas at risk of flooding in Kilbirnie, Glengarnock, Dalry and Kilwinnning.

Locals are invited to attend a drop in session at the Walker Memorial Hall in Kilbirnie from 3.30pm to 6.30pm to find out more about how signing up to receive advance warning of flooding can help you be floodprepared.

Pascal Lardet, SEPA’s Flood Unit Manager, said: “We hope that as many people as possible who live and work in, or travel through, the area will be able to come along to meet our officers and learn how our Floodline service operates and how it can help everybody prepare for the possibility of flooding along the River Garnock.

“So far 159 people have signed up to our Floodline service for the River Garnock already and will receive free advance notification when flooding is predicted. This will provide them with crucial time to prepare and protect themselves, and their properties, against the disruption and damage which flooding can cause.”

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place at North Ayrshire Council, said: “The River Garnock flood warning scheme is an important project which will affect a huge number of people in the Garnock valley.

“This drop-in session is an excellent opportunity tomeet the people in the know and learn more about the scheme.”

Kirsty MacRae, Director of the Scottish Flood Forum, said: “The new flood warning scheme is good news, giving people time to prepare themselves and their properties for possible flooding. For more information on practical steps that can be taken, we suggest people visit the Scottish Flood Forum website.”

SEPA currently provides advance flood warnings for over 280 areas across Scotland, and people can sign up to receive free notifications of flood warning messages direct at www.sepa.org.uk/ floodingsignup or by calling 0345 988 1188.