Councillors are up in arms after the Environment Agency announced it would be removing temporary flood barriers in a village, leaving residents at risk of flooding for the third time in less than seven years.
The village of Billington in the Ribble Valley flooded on Boxing Day in 2015 and then again in February 2020 after heavy rainfall saw the banks of the River Calder burst.
The Environment Agency (EA) then planned to introduce temporary mobile flood defences to protect properties in the area, particularly those in Longworth Road.
However, instances of instability with temporary barriers in a small number of locations elsewhere in England led to a national review of the plans, with a recommendation that all defence systems should be compliant under Construction Design Management Regulations.
But last month, following a further review, a decision was made to withdraw the Temporary Defence Management Plan (TDMP) for Billington.
Despite the EA saying it would be exploring a possible permanent flood defence scheme for Billington, encompassing a stronger flood wall between Harrison’s Engineering and Longworth Road including lockable flood defence gates at the entrance to the engineering premises, councillors Ged Mirfin and Mark Hindle, who represent Whalley and Painter Wood ward on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said the decision was “bad news for the residents of Longworth Road.”
Cllr Mirfin said: “The absence of any interim temporary flood defence measures prior to long-term solutions being sought will be regarded as a cause of profound concern by residents facing threats to life, limb and property.”
Cllr Hindle, said: “It is frankly very concerning if temporary flood defence measures are not going to be available going forward.
“Something should be put in their place in the interim - maybe the EA should urgently look at the type of equipment used in flooding zones on the continent - some of which I believe is actually manufactured by Harrison’s Engineering.
“This should be stored locally so that it is highly accessible. Otherwise, you get the feeling that that which the EA has purchased is not fit for purpose and has been a colossal waste of public money.
“More so because it is unable to be used to protect residents that are vulnerable to large scale flooding events.”
Cllr Mirfin said the decision last month by the EA to withdraw the defences was announced with no public consultation whatsoever and before any local councillors had a chance to make representations.
An online briefing session was held for residents of the village on October 18 where the EA explained that deployment plans would require a greater number of staff to deploy an increased amount of equipment, including water-filled stability blocks and additional sandbags.
The EA argued it was beyond typical weather forecasts to predict large scale serious weather events at short notice and the organisation was at the absolute limit of what is and is not deployable when faced with critical time scales.
Cllr Mirfin added: “The EA were under no illusion that they had made a mistake and needed to offer both an interim solution and deliver a long-term solution.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “All flood defences need to be able to be deployed quickly and effectively and due to the extra measures required to make the temporary flood barriers at Billington work correctly and safely we have taken the decision to no longer deploy them.
“We know the huge impact that flooding can have and these temporary barriers are just one of a range of measures to tackle the impact of flooding.
“We are working closely with partners and the local community in Billington to identify how to reduce the risk of future flooding, which includes looking at whether a permanent flood defence scheme is possible.”
In April 2016, the Whalley Flood and Billington Action Group was set up to work with residents who had been affected by the Boxing Day floods of 2015, with the group's aim to reduce flood risk, create a resilience plan and a flood victim support plan in the area.
At the time, the idea of a 'Great Wall of Whalley' was touted, which would run a few metres alongside the north bank of the River Calder and would provide protection up to the level the government was prepared to give.
It was hoped the 'Great Wall of Whalley' would give protection to residents for up to 100 years and provide better protection then ever had before.
Although talks were progressing as recently as 2020, nothing has been finalised for the 'Great Wall' idea, but it is hoped the EA will work alongside residents and action groups to reach a swift solution.
The Environment Agency is encouraging everyone to sign up for flood warnings by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, or by visiting the Flood Warning Information website so that they have time to prepare in the event of a flood.
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