Storm Bert: Wiltshire Council defends response to devastating flooding

It's as the local MP in Chippenham is raising the urgent question of why the warning wasn't made earlier

Author: Oliver MorganPublished 27th Nov 2024
Last updated 27th Nov 2024

After a deluge of heavy rain hit the West Country and the UK - the focus now turns to the clean-up operation, as locals begin to assess the impact of the damage brought on by heavy flooding.

One of the regions in the South West hit the hardest was Wiltshire - with communities in Bradford-on-Avon and Chippenham seeing hundreds of homes and businesses underwater.

Read more: Storm Bert: shocked residents in Chippenham begin flood recovery

Chippenham's Lib Dem MP Sarah Gibson is now raising the urgent question of why the warning wasn't made earlier.

She urged the Minister for Flooding, Emma Hardy, whether she would visit the town - an invitation which she accepted.

Following the invitation, the Minister joined Ms Gibson in visiting businesses, residents, community groups and councillors in working out what next steps need to be taken.

Commenting, Ms Gibson said: “My first priority on Monday was to support residents who needed housing and to meet with businesses, clearing up from the flood waters. Everyone I spoke to had one message – ‘why weren’t we warned?’

“I cannot fault the first responders, who tackled the flooding head on. What I am deeply concerned about was the follow-up response. Wiltshire Council has superb officers and systems in place to support people in this type of crisis.

“However, I was horrified to find out that Wiltshire Council didn’t provide an emergency contact number for people looking for immediate support during this traumatic time.

“In response, I wrote to the Minister for Flooding , Emma Hardy, late Monday evening and was pleased to learn that she would visit us and see the devastation for herself .”

On Tuesday 26th November, the Minister visited Chippenham along with representatives from the Environment Agency, Town Council, and Wiltshire Council.

That included Cllr Nic Puntis, the portfolio holder responsible for flooding across Wiltshire, who said: “During our walk around Chippenham I was able to introduce her to local businesses like G Hatto Barbershop, who were in the process of mopping floors and drying what they could.

“I then led a discussion between the Minister, Town Council, Wiltshire Council, and the Environment Agency where I asked for immediate funding for my constituents and businesses recovering from the damage.

“I am concerned that a rural county like Wiltshire may not meet the required threshold that qualifies us for emergency support – I pressed the Minister to investigate this matter as a priority, as I do not want my constituents to miss out based on some random metric. People need support now.

“I asked what more could be done by the Councils and Environment Agency, working together pro-actively to contact residents and businesses likely to be affected by flooding. This has to happen not only in the aftermath, but before the crisis even hits.

“This would give my constituents a fighting chance to manage the impact of any flooding.

“I thank the Minister, council representatives and Environment Agency for coming to Chippenham to see the impact of Storm Bert. I promise to ensure that constituents affected by the flooding get the support they need as soon as possible.”

'Absolutely wretched and terrifying'

The Environment Agency say they gave residents in Chippenham ample warning ahead of the flooding.

Ian Withers, who is from the South West team, told us: "I have absolute sympathy for everyone who's been impacted - it's absolutely wretched and terrifying.

"Whether or not people understood or received the flood warning is another matter - but we've now got to learn and work with communities, to get a better understanding about what a flood warning really means for them."

From Wiltshire Council, Nick Holder, the Cabinet Member for Highways and Flooding, told us: “We were sorry to hear about the flooding experienced by residents in Bradford-on-Avon, Chippenham and other areas across the county. We understand how distressing flooding can be for residents and are committed to doing all we can to support affected communities.

“During the response phase of Storm Bert, we provided frequent updates to residents via local media, our digital newsletter and social media, directing people to our dedicated flooding webpage for information and advice. This webpage received over 45,000 unique views on Monday. In addition, our customer services and highways teams handled double their usual volume of calls on Monday, demonstrating the important role the council plays during weather incidents.

“As we transition to the recovery phase, we will now look to help residents and businesses affected by flooding to access available support. The Government typically provides recovery assistance in the form of grants.

Details of the support potentially available following Storm Bert has not yet been released. In the meantime, residents affected by flooding can email customerservices@wiltshire.gov.uk, while businesses can contact hello@swgrowthhub.co.uk with their name, property address and email.

"We can then provide updates as soon as further information is available.”

The Met Office is claiming that it is "committed to learning the lessons" from Storm Bert.

But forecasters also insist rainfall totals were in line with predictions - following criticism from some residents and ministers that "insufficient" warning was given.

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