Popular Scots aquarium forced to close after being ripped apart by Storm Babet

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A popular Fife aquarium has been forced to close its doors after it was ripped apart by Storm Babet.Last weekend's torrential weather caused significant damage to St Andrews Aquarium, leaving owners scrambling in blustering conditions to rescue their animals.The outdoor seal pool at the attraction was evacuated in the middle of the night after huge sea swells ripped apart the steel fencing around the enclosure and washed away the viewing deck.Bosses say all animals are now safe and being cared for, with the aquarium’s resident seals having been removed from the outdoor pool and brought inside, just in the nick of time.Speaking of the devastation, owner and managing director John Mace said: “We are just devastated by the damage caused, our team were on-site through the night and luckily managed to move our seals before the enclosure fencing was destroyed, but it could have been a lot worse."To stand by and look at the family business you’ve built over many years and be destroyed in a few hours is very difficult to take.

We’ve got a very long road ahead of us and will work to repair the damage as quickly as possible, but we are looking at a prolonged period of closure."Montrose Promenade and North Berwick Harbour also suffered extensive damage during last weekend's storm.Shocking pictures posted by Angus Council on X, formerly known as Twitter, show parts of Montrose Promenade having collapsed after hours of torrential winds and rain.Angus Council said: "It's difficult to prevent access to the highly unstable edge but please stay away as contractors are on site and it's just not safe."Huge waves in sea surges on Sunday night also destroyed the harbour wall at North Berwick.