Storm is brewing at lack of ‘flood’ action

2:55pm Wednesday 13th August 2008

A STORM is brewing in Tenbury as a special meeting has been called amid dismay at an Environment Agency study into flooding in the town.

The town council want to confront agency chiefs to express their concerns about the lack of action to prevent any future flooding in Tenbury.

Councillor Bob Martin described the survey as opaque and needing explanation.

"This is the most important subject that the town has faced for years. It seems that they (the Environment Agency) are backing off rather rapidly from doing anything," said Coun Martin.

"There is nothing in this report about the effect that flooding has on people. We have to take the chance to point out that economic life in this town is being destroyed. We have a dagger pointing at the heart of the town," he added.

Coun Martin said the cost benefit ratio required to justify flood defence work was inappropriate and failed to take account of the economic impact of flooding on Tenbury.

Another town councillor set to challenge the Environment Agency is Joe Watson who said the threat of flooding was keeping investment and jobs out of Tenbury.

"Inward investment in the town is not happening because of the risk of flooding."

He added that people in the town were living in fear when it started to rain and Councillor Jane Jenner warned that the experience of the 2007 floods was etched into the minds of many children who became anxious when heavy rain falls.

Tenbury has a long history of flooding with 10 major events in the past 400 years. But the frequency appears to be increasing with three of them within the past century.

More than a year after the 2007 deluge, recovery and repair work is still taking place.

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