Don and Izzie MacDonald, both retired, have lived in misery since 2000 because a drain next to their East King Street home repeatedly overflowed during heavy rain – spewing up to 28 inches of grey sewage water into their garden and basement within minutes.

Scottish Water has since spent £1.2 million on improvement works in East King Street for Don, Izzie and a number of their neighbours affected by flooding, including three new storm storage culverts at East End Park, a spill chamber and a new pipeline system.

Speaking of her relief that the ordeal will soon be over, Izzie told the Advertiser: “We can now enjoy our retirement. We don’t have to worry about living. We were afraid to leave in case we got flooded, now we can relax.

“Everybody locally knows us and knows that this has happened, we’re not the only people that have been flooded, we were the worst affected and I need people to know this won’t happen again.” Along with the addition of the culverts and spill chamber, Scottish Water has installed new pipelines which run from George Street and King’s Crescent, connecting back into the existing network via a sewer running from East King Street to East Princes Street.

The Advertiser previously reported Izzie and Don’s plight, with the couple so badly affected by flooding that they couldn’t leave their home to go on holiday, insurance costs on their home rocketed, and their house was left worthless.

Human waste – including nappies and sanitary towels – spilled into their garden and basement, destroying their possessions, whilst Don couldn’t even take his wife on the cruise he had promised her in case they came back to find their garden and home awash with sewage.

In 2012 – after more than a decade of misery – the couple asked Helensburgh councillor Vivien Dance to step in after Scottish Water admitted it couldn’t do anything because it had no money to expand the overworked drainage system which ran under a railway line.

Izzie said: “We got in touch with Vivien and she was just appalled, she got in touch with environmental health and we couldn’t have done this without her.” Cllr Dance said she is ‘delighted’ Izzie and Don can now live their lives free from flooding, adding: “It is resolutions to problems like this which have gone on for many years that makes the job of being a councillor so worthwhile. “Scottish Water has kept us informed every step of the way and I am sure they are delighted to have solved the problem as they have been extremely sympathetic in their dealings with Izzie and Don once this issue was prioritised.” She added: “Izzie and Don no longer have to worry about leaving their home unattended for fear of floods and they can now really enjoy their retirement and their home knowing it is not on a flood register any more and I am so pleased for them.” Izzie and Don say they are ‘eternally grateful’ to the team that had helped them, including the Department of Environmental Health, Helensburgh Fire Service, officials from Scottish Water and family and friends.

Meanwhile Scottish Water’s Senior Project Manager, Joe Watt, passed on assurances to those affected by flooding in Helensburgh.

He said: “We fully understand the inconvenience that flooding can cause and have worked hard to ensure that the short term measures we implemented in the past, such as installing smart bricks and providing sandbags, were exactly that – short term.

“Through collaboration with Argyll and Bute Council we have worked hard to design this long term solution and can assure customers that they will see the benefits for many years to come.” Scottish Water’s Regional Communities Manager Jane McKenzie added: “This flood alleviation project came as the result of our commitment to listen to our customers and the council and we have delivered a solution that will make a difference to the lives of local residents.”