Know Your Largs Before the days of "global warming", Largs and surrounding towns were deluged in August 1961 after a freak storm resulted in mass flooding ... with even the local Fire Station swamped hampering rescue efforts.

It was the heaviest rainfall on any August day causing widespread flooding as hundreds of cars were marooned and bus and train services cancelled. As we bask under the glorious sunshine this week, spare a thought for the poor folks in the swinging sixties as the local area came to a virtual standstill.

The relentless downpour caused the worst flooding in half a century as three inches of rain was recorded. In many of the streets. the spate was flowing down like a river, about two feet deep.

The Gogo burn was nearly up to the height of the lower bridge which replaced the one swept away by an August spate in 1960. In the north end of the town, the turbulent Moorburn was flowing over a four feet high wall on the Moorburn Road and tearing down Glenacre Drive, flooding the fire station at the foot of Kelvin Street, where the firemen were busy with pumps.

The deluge encroached on Kelvin Garage and the low-lying ground at Municipal chambers was entirely submerged in the tide. The overflow from the burn was streaming down the avenue at St.Helen"s Hotel (one half of the current Brisbane Hotel) and the other others on the seafront, diverging on to the Greenock Road and traffic had great difficulty in getting through. The wall at the slaughter house in Surrey Glen was also in danger of collapsing, and the Noddle burn had burst its banks.

The railway line was closed as stationmaster David Tait was busily diverting passengers to Glasgow and elsewhere via the bus service over the Haylie Brae. The 6.20pm train actually left Largs but was forced to return after encountering problems between Fairlie and West Kilbride. Some commuters were marooned for several hours coming home.

Traffic was completely blocked on the Largs-West Kilbride-Dalry Road causing great inconvenience to bus passengers and people in private cars.

Unprecedented scenes were witnessed by people trying to make their way home in water-logged streets, one of the worst places being at the foot of Seamore Street in the vicinity of the U.F Church. Considerable damage was done to property, many houses being flooded.

The Largs-Kilbirnie road was opened in the evening but earlier on it carried an enormous amount of flood water. The police were praised for their assistance while the AA patrols had their busiest night of the year, helping stranded motorists and erecting signs to direct traffic. Every available patrol was on duty, many for over 18 hours. Even patrols on annual leave were recalled to assist with the havoc caused by the deluge.

The situation was not without humour as the "News" reported that one motorist telephoned for assistance and gave the cause of failure as being "water in the petrol". It transpired that he was three feet in water!

The Largs Town Council debated the matter at their monthly meeting after several streets suffered mass flooding under three inches of water. Treasurer Theo Speaker wanted to offer a bouquet to the burgh staff for the way in which they worked on the night of the flooding while proposals were put in place to improve the culvert carrying the burn above Moorburn Road so as to prevent a repetition of the outburst. It was pointed out that the flooding was the worst in the local area since the storm of 1910.

The Burgh Surveyor reported that the rainfall for August was 7.66 inches at Moorburn and 8/72 inches at Middleton Reservoirs, the highest ever recorded in Largs for the month of August.

The weather did not improve much in September 1961 either as galeforce winds resulted in a Largs boathirer with half a dozen volunteers courageously going to the assistance of a yachting party who were in danger during galeforce winds.

Mr William Dick, boathirer, waged a three hour fight with the storm to help a four ton sloop, Solace, with three men on board as its rigging snapped off, a rope fouled the propeller and the boat"s engine could not be used.

The immobilised yacht was taken in tow but the journey back to Largs was considered too hazardous and the yacht was towed instead to the lee of the north end of Cumbrae as anchors were dropped and the boats rode out the gale overnight. Many yachts were severely damaged during the storm as several boats sank at their locations.