Lack of gully maintenance could have increased roads flooding according to report

The comments are included in a report looking at the major flooding which took place in February and March this year, which will be considered by Shropshire Council's Communities Overview Committee next week.

The report says that a severe weather plan could be drawn up by the council to bolster its response to future episodes of the catastrophic flooding seen earlier this year.

The report highlights that a lack of highway and drainage maintenance could have contributed to the significant flooding of the road network, which in turn resulted in the high cost of repairs in the aftermath of the storms.

It states: “Due to reduced levels of maintenance of the highway gullies and connecting drainage systems the network was not as resilient as it could have been if higher levels of maintenance been undertaken.

“Subsequent surveys of some drainage systems in high-risk areas have shown blockages and silting that will have reduced the capacity of the system and it is anticipated that this situation is reflected elsewhere in the drainage systems.

“In rural locations, the significant reduction in ditch maintenance and grip cutting had a more prominent detrimental effect in rural areas where road construction is less designed to modern standards”

The council says it wants to create the new strategy to “consolidate its preparation across all departments,” according to the report which also sets out plans to establish flood action groups across the county.

It comes after hundreds of homes and businesses were hit by rising water when the wettest February on record wrought havoc in Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth and Ludlow.

Published ahead of a scrutiny committee meeting next week, the report, by Steve Smith, assistant director of infrastructure, says the speed and severity of the flooding during Storm Dennis put “significant strain” on the council and emergency services.

The Environment Agency’s flood models struggled to keep up with the rapidly developing weather event, making it “extremely difficult” to co-ordinate the response, says Mr Smith.

Villagers in Melverley, Pentre and Kinnerley found themselves cut off by the water, while there were properties known to have flooded in all corners of the county – a total of around 600.

The cost to the council exceeded £3.25 million, of which just £60,000 could be claimed back from the government under the Bellwin scheme.

More than £1 million in grants has been distributed to 526 businesses who were either directly affected by the flooding or saw their trade impacted by road closures and limited access to town centres.

The council has also been tasked with administering government grants of up to £5,000 to affected homeowners wishing to make their properties more resilient to future flooding.

The report recommends a grants team be established to avoid taking key officers away from their roles to deal with applications.

It further identifies the need for a central incident desk and dedicated phone line, and says better staff awareness of the emergency procedure is required.

Mr Smith recommends updating the Shrewsbury flood barriers action plan in line with the new severe weather plan, and adds that earlier road closures and more supervision of road closures could also be considered.

Finally, he recommends the council funds the National Flood Forum to engage with communities and assist in establishing flood action groups across the county.

The report will be discussed at a meeting of the council’s communities overview committee next Tuesday.