The period from the 18th to the 21st of October saw the most severe and widespread disruptive weather impacts of 2023, courtesy of Storm Babet. Both the Environment Agency (EA) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issued multiple severe flood warnings. Across the UK, there was an average 3% decline in footfall during October, with Scotland experiencing an almost 5% decrease.
In Scotland, the town of Brechin faced significant challenges as hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded, particularly in the aftermath of river South Esk defenses being overtopped. Storm Babet also led to the closure of the main A90 trunk road between Forfar and Brechin due to bridge damage. Notably, Brechin witnessed a substantial 31.25% decrease in footfall from the first half of the month to the second.
