People Web International

WILTSHIRE - Towns and villages across Wiltshire have been asked by their county council to pinpoint areas of flood risk given the more severe weather expected from Climate Change. Communities should each appoint flood wardens who will pull together the information, then coordinate any local action required by householders or the emergency services when severe weather and floods occur.

One small village, Quidhampton, lies in a valley at the confluence of the Rivers Nadder and Wylye, close tothe Cathedral City of Salisbury.Like many other rural communities in the county, Quidhampton developed hundreds of years ago sited above water meadows where sheep were grazed. No-one remembers rising river levels causing flooding in the village, although it’s normal to see the meadows covered with water most winters.  Nevertheless there are flood risks to act on. A broken and blocked drain and the subsequent flooding often affects a fast main road, and a potentially dangerous accident happened in December when a motorcyclist fell off. Residents also recall rainwater coming into their houses and cellars in very severe rains several years ago. 

Many other town and villages across the county are not half so fortunate. The new 1:1000 flood level predictions, mapped out nationally on the Environment Agency website (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/), put the low lying parts of some townships and parts of the city of Salisbury itself below the predicted extreme flood levels.

The County’s plan to tackle increased flood risk is just beginning. Their order of priority for funding flood prevention measures is first risk to life, then main roads, property, and finally minor roads.

Indications are that communities who are not raising awareness of their risks won’t see funding allocated to them any time soon. And that couldn’t be a more challenging test to the UK government’s Big Society initiative which urges communities to take more responsibility for themselves.