The Great Talla Conspiracy Theory

Some people have got it into their heads that Scottish Water deliberately opened the flood gates at Talla Reservoir above us on Tweedsmuir to avoid flooding up there, and thus caused the extensive damage in Peebles.

A retained fireman in uniform was verbally abused in a local shop the other day because the "fire service ordered the flood gates to be opened".

Scottish Water (admittedly not the most popular agency in the area) says categorically that they did no such thing.   There was a degree of "over-topping" when the water came over the dam - its capacity of 12.7 million cubic metres proving not enough.    Which seems to me to be very likely.   

People are getting agitated - the weather is getting them down.