Residents Seek Answers

Abingdon residents were given the opportunity to grill representatives from various agencies involved in dealing with the devastating floods which hit the town in July. Around 150 residents attended a meeting organised by Dr Evan Harris MP and south Abingdon councillors which brought together speakers from the Environment Agency, Vale of White Horse District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire Fire Service. The meeting was intended to identify what can be improved in future incidents of this kind.

The Environment Agency presented a new report compiled following the surgeries with Abingdon residents earlier in the year. They pointed out that several key factors led to the problems which occurred in Abingdon, although the key reason was the amount of rain which fell to the west of Abingdon, where the River Ock rises. At its peak the river had 60 times the normal level of water for July.

Another key factor was that May and June had also seen significant increases in rainfall, which meant that the ground was saturated, causing all the rain which fell to drain straight into the various rivers which flow through Abingdon. There was only one sluice gate on the Ock which remains permanently open.

The Vale of White Horse District Council outlined the Council's role in any such event, which is primarily to support the emergency services and to offer emergency accommodation to those in need. The Vale went beyond this, seeking to reduce the occurrence of flooding by providing sandbags to residents. The Council has also issued grants to residents affected, co-ordinated advice on the flooding. The Vale is currently considering a report into its response to identify where it can improve in future. Plans may include working more with local groups to support their efforts to alleviate local flooding.

The County Council advised that the Fire Service answered 2000 emergency calls in 48 hours, which represents 10% of the normal average number of such calls. The County also outlined its role, which involved evacuation, looking after residents who had been evacuated and ensuring that affected houses were cleaned to a level at which affected residents could return home as soon as possible.

Many residents had been unhappy with flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency (EA), which had often arrived too late for them to save their property. The EA sets out to issue warnings two hours before a flooding incident but such warnings can only be issued when information received is properly verified. The EA's regional office is normally staffed by two people and they had been overwhelmed by the amount of information which was coming in from across the region, as so many rivers had been affected by the rainfall.

The EA has identified that flood warning systems need improving. 'Flood watch' alerts had been issued earlier in the week but that some residents may not be signed up to receive these.

Some residents queried text messages sent out by the EA, which they say had not been received. Mobile networks had experienced failures during the flooding event so this may have contributed.

Residents questioned the provision of sandbags to affected areas as this was variable. It was pointed out that sandbags are no good on their own against anything other than lapping water. To be effective, they require plastic sheeting behind them.

Discussing preparations for future risks, Dr Harris advised that ministers have confirmed that some insurance companies will fund some resilience work to reduce future risks to properties. He recommended that residents speak to their insurance companies to take this forward. Insurers will maintain premiums if the government funds appropriate work by the EA to reduce flood risks. It may also be possible to contact the insurance ombudsman to consider certain cases where difficulties arise.

The EA had limited funds to carry out major works to reduce the risk of future flooding. Many areas around the country had been worse hit, including towns and cities in Gloucestershire, and schemes to help them may take priority.

Some residents had been unable to attend the recent flood fair which offered products for residents to help reduce their future risk as these events had been held on weekdays. Cllr Jerry Patterson, Leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, agreed to look into organising a flood fair for Abingdon and to see if the organisers would hold it on a weekend.

Dr Harris closed the meeting by advising residents that he would organise a meeting within six months to see how the various issues raised had developed. He said,"This was a very useful meeting which allowed residents to raise their concerns directly with the various agencies central to the events of July and the clear up afterwards. I am very grateful to residents for their moderation in discussing what is clearly a very traumatic issue for many of them. I am also grateful to the representatives from the various organisations who gave up their Friday evening to discuss these events. I hope that a future meeting to be planned will be able to demonstrate progress in a number of areas."

"The fundamental problem remains however that none of the main flood prevention schemes for Abingdon being investigated by the Environment agency are likely to be affordable on the basis of current government funding. That is unacceptable."