Extinction Rebellion call on Dorset Council to prepare flood recovery plan
It's after Dorset was target to heavy rain at the end of October
Last updated 9th Nov 2021
Extinction Rebellion Dorchester, Weymouth and Portland are calling on Dorset council to notify constituents who live on low lying, flood prone lanes about the risks they face due to heavy rain.
The environmental movement say recent widespread flooding across the county has caused havoc.
In response Dorset Council are now developing a new risk-based approach which uses historic data, flood risk maps, and artificial intelligence to identify high priority sites which may need more frequent drainage maintenance.
"Climate Change WILL make flooding worse"
Over the last 30 years the UK has been 6% wetter on average and that is set to rise drastically.
It’s not just average rainfall that is on the up, it is the amount of rain that falls during a single storm. Higher temperatures mean more water evaporation resulting in heavier, prolonged rain storms.
According to the UK MET Office extended periods of extreme winter rainfall are now 7 times more likely.
On August 6th 2021 after heavy rains and with more predicted rains coming. Andy Smith, Weymouth resident, checked all the gullies and drains in his street and the surrounding streets to discover that nearly all of them were blocked.
He registered a request via the Dorset Council website to have the drain closest to his property cleared. Over one month later despite the automated council response stating the drain had been cleared, it had not.
Andy Smith, an Extinction Rebellion Spokesperson said:
“Due to austerity things like road sweeping and gully / drain clearance have been neglected, this combined with heavier rainstorms, more people tarmacking driveways and installing Astroturf has resulted in an increase in surface water flooding in built up areas. People think the Climate Crisis is all about preparing for sea level rise but realistically cleaning out drains is the first step. I wonder how many homes were flooded due to Dorset Council neglecting to do a very simple task?
“In Extinction Rebellion we are 100% accountable for our actions. If we block a road, we wait there until we are arrested and we face the consequences. Dorset Council should be accountable for their wilful ignorance. It has been 2 and a half years since Dorset Council declared a climate emergency and yet it seems the council still haven’t grasped the extent of the immediate action that needs taking.”
On September 14th 2021 following a complaint another online request was made to have the drain unblocked. This second request was acted upon within 7 days.
Andy continued: “Dorset Council must have the Climate Crisis at the forefront of every decision it makes.
“As the years progress the general public will start looking for accountability and fingers will be pointed at specific councillors who will find themselves complicit in destroying people’s lives.”
Dorset Council statement on Response to XR flooding release:
“We have spoken with Mr. Smith regarding local gully cleaning, and he has confirmed that the specific drains mentioned have been cleared to his satisfaction.
"As a rural county, Dorset has always experienced occasional flooding events, but we fully acknowledge such incidents are likely to become more frequent in the future as we deal with the consequences of climate change. Dorset Council carries out regular gully maintenance on the primary road network, while all other routes are identified for maintenance through safety inspections, or in response to reports from the public.
"We are developing a new risk-based approach which uses historic data, flood risk maps, and artificial intelligence to identify high priority sites which may need more frequent drainage maintenance. We have already introduced a highways resilience risk tool to record and map issues, and manage the impacts of climate change. This tool also helps us prioritise drainage sites for investigation, and design and construct improvements and repairs. This is turn helps to reduce flood risk to property and our highway network.”