'Back of the queue' Bridgnorth seeks more planning to combat flooding

Last month saw a dire situation as members of the Direct Labour Force (DLF), town councillors and other volunteers tackled some of the worse flooding seen in the town.

Councillor Ian Wellings is a lead member of the community Bridgnorth Flood Action Working Group which was set up to support residents who are badly affected by flood water.

He and other councillors joined in the effort by transporting sandbags but were hampered by the closure of the county council depot on the east side of town which suffered the worst flooding, meaning they had to be carried long distances from another depot.

Despite this, in a report to Bridgnorth Town Council on Tuesday, Councillor Wellings said he was pleased with the response of the group, the town council and everybody who had helped with the efforts to deal with the flooding.

He said: "It was generally a good response given the size of the council, the staff we have to cover weekends and the severity of the flooding, I would say we were at 90 per cent of what we could have been doing.

"But we do have the information given to us from the Environment Agency on when flooding is likely to happen and I think we need to pre-empt the worst of the flooding by acting at the first warning, not four days later when the alert has been up-graded.

"It needs a more co-ordinated approach with the county council because the sand bags had to be transported quite a long way and there weren't many people to do it, also there was some confusion over which members of the DFL were working at the weekend and it could probably have done with all of them there. Staff also need to know what the procedure is and this should be updated for the next time so they are ready for it."

Councillor Julia Buckley said: "The truth is if we are to move the sandbags to deal with the flood we will have to do it ourselves, whether that is councillors, members of community groups or simply folk who live in the town.

"We are very much at the back of the queue from the likes of Shrewsbury when it comes to help from Shropshire Council and with a town the size of Bridgnorth it will probably always be the case.

"But considering that, it was a good effort from everyone, from volunteers at the rugby club, to householders and volunteers and to members of the town council and employees who all got stuck in with what was the worst flooding in a number of years.

"The feedback I have had is that nobody was left stranded or felt alone, the WhatsApp group worked very well and we overcame things like the closure of the depot on the east side of town as best we can.

"There is always things that can be improved, like being more aware of who on the DLF rota is due to work, who can't because they are away and who would be available if called on with short notice.

"Feedback will also be given to Shropshire Council so we can work with them before the next event to plan a more co-ordinated approach as strength in numbers is always important."