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Fear and water rise on Somerset Levels | The Times
Fear and water rise on Somerset Levels | The Times
Fear and water rise on Somerset Levels
high water levels on the River Parrett, Oath, Somerset
The Somerset Levels are turning silver again, to the alarm of residents who have been flooded out of their homes for two years running.
The slate grey skies reflected in newly formed pools that already cover acres of fields are a herald of a weekend of heavy rain that led the Environment Agency to issue a flurry of flood alerts for the southwest.
The agency has recently finished dredging a five-mile stretch of the rivers Parrett and Tone, which were heavily silted after years of neglect. Lack of dredging was blamed in part for the flooding that left hundreds of houses submerged for three months last winter. Many residents of the affected villages have yet to return to their homes, while others have only recently moved back in.
In Burrowbridge, where the Parrett joins the Tone, dredging means the waterway is wider and deeper and flowing faster than at any time in recent memory. The water has already reached the top of the arch of the bridge that carries the A361 across the river — and it is not winter yet.
Sally Taylor, the landlady of the King Alfred Inn on the banks of the river, had to close the pub’s dining room on Wednesday when water began seeping up between the ancient flagstones, something that did not happen during the worst of the flooding earlier this year. She said: “We are used to the fields flooding — that happens every year — but we haven’t had this much water in the dining room before.”
Kevin Greenwood had to take a detour while walking his dog on his regular route across the Levels, a low-lying area of Somerset originally drained in the Middle Ages. He said: “In previous years that route only flooded after six or seven weeks of rain. This week it has happened after just three days. What it tells me is that the soil is still saturated and can’t absorb any more water.”
Mr Greenwood has a theory that the authorities are happy for rural communities to flood as part of a policy agreed by the United Nations, called Agenda 21. He said: “The idea is to force people living in rural areas to move to the towns and cities.”
Conspiracy theories and portents of another winter under water are not given credence by everyone. Jim Winkworth, Ms Taylor’s partner, who farms as well as running the pub, said: “The Environment Agency has a plan of action that includes a series of ‘trigger points’ so any flooding will be much better managed.”
The flooding on the Levels can look much more dramatic than it is because large areas are designated flood plain, used to store water and prevent problems in Taunton and Bridgwater by slowing the flow downstream. However, Julian Temperley, who runs a cider apple orchard, said that flooding in his fields this early in the season was alarming. He said: “I was concerned about our livestock which had to be kept in those fields while we harvest our apples. Fortunately it is going down now but it makes you wonder whether it is going to happen again this year.” Mr Temperley’s 99-year-old father, Neville, was among those forced out of their homes in Thorney in January. He has yet to return.
In a private prosecution, Les Goddard, a local man, has admitted opening a sluice gate to save his village that may have contributed to the flooding in Thorney. He will be sentenced on December 1. Goddard, from Hambridge, said opening the sluice was something he had done many times before during heavy rain with no problems.
Mr Temperley said he believed his father’s house was flooded as a result of the gate being lifted. He said: “I believe my father is not in his house today because of the actions of this man.”
The Environment Agency says it is not expecting any properties to be flooded, but a spokesman said: “We can’t promise there won’t be any flooding, no one can.”
Work has only just started on raising the level of the road into the village of Muchelney, which was turned into an island on January 1 and did not rejoin the “mainland” until March.
Residents had been left to fend for themselves for at least a fortnight before the Prince of Wales paid a visit and drew attention to their plight.
high water levels on the River Parrett, Oath, Somerset
The Somerset Levels are turning silver again, to the alarm of residents who have been flooded out of their homes for two years running.
The slate grey skies reflected in newly formed pools that already cover acres of fields are a herald of a weekend of heavy rain that led the Environment Agency to issue a flurry of flood alerts for the southwest.
The agency has recently finished dredging a five-mile stretch of the rivers Parrett and Tone, which were heavily silted after years of neglect. Lack of dredging was blamed in part for the flooding that left hundreds of houses submerged for three months last winter. Many residents of the affected villages have yet to return to their homes, while others have only recently moved back in.
In Burrowbridge, where the Parrett joins the Tone, dredging means the waterway is wider and deeper and flowing faster than at any time in recent memory. The water has already reached the top of the arch of the bridge that carries the A361 across the river — and it is not winter yet.
Sally Taylor, the landlady of the King Alfred Inn on the banks of the river, had to close the pub’s dining room on Wednesday when water began seeping up between the ancient flagstones, something that did not happen during the worst of the flooding earlier this year. She said: “We are used to the fields flooding — that happens every year — but we haven’t had this much water in the dining room before.”
Kevin Greenwood had to take a detour while walking his dog on his regular route across the Levels, a low-lying area of Somerset originally drained in the Middle Ages. He said: “In previous years that route only flooded after six or seven weeks of rain. This week it has happened after just three days. What it tells me is that the soil is still saturated and can’t absorb any more water.”
Mr Greenwood has a theory that the authorities are happy for rural communities to flood as part of a policy agreed by the United Nations, called Agenda 21. He said: “The idea is to force people living in rural areas to move to the towns and cities.”
Conspiracy theories and portents of another winter under water are not given credence by everyone. Jim Winkworth, Ms Taylor’s partner, who farms as well as running the pub, said: “The Environment Agency has a plan of action that includes a series of ‘trigger points’ so any flooding will be much better managed.”
The flooding on the Levels can look much more dramatic than it is because large areas are designated flood plain, used to store water and prevent problems in Taunton and Bridgwater by slowing the flow downstream. However, Julian Temperley, who runs a cider apple orchard, said that flooding in his fields this early in the season was alarming. He said: “I was concerned about our livestock which had to be kept in those fields while we harvest our apples. Fortunately it is going down now but it makes you wonder whether it is going to happen again this year.” Mr Temperley’s 99-year-old father, Neville, was among those forced out of their homes in Thorney in January. He has yet to return.
In a private prosecution, Les Goddard, a local man, has admitted opening a sluice gate to save his village that may have contributed to the flooding in Thorney. He will be sentenced on December 1. Goddard, from Hambridge, said opening the sluice was something he had done many times before during heavy rain with no problems.
Mr Temperley said he believed his father’s house was flooded as a result of the gate being lifted. He said: “I believe my father is not in his house today because of the actions of this man.”
The Environment Agency says it is not expecting any properties to be flooded, but a spokesman said: “We can’t promise there won’t be any flooding, no one can.”
Work has only just started on raising the level of the road into the village of Muchelney, which was turned into an island on January 1 and did not rejoin the “mainland” until March.
Residents had been left to fend for themselves for at least a fortnight before the Prince of Wales paid a visit and drew attention to their plight.
