Just look at what I wrote in my election notes from May 2007. Here we are over 18 years later and the probability of flooding is still increasing.
My first significant contact with local water level problems was while working with others in the early 1980’s which resulted in the re-grading of the Horton Drain.
After the collapse of the railway bridge (and the end of the Wraysbury Station platform) into a water filled hole in 1988, I supplied my complete and very detailed photographic record of the preceding conditions to the investigating engineers.
As Chairman of the Parish Council, I represented Datchet at the 1992 Public Inquiry into the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme. Taking six weeks, the Inquiry was held at Reading and the evidence given by the so-called ‘experts’ was that the scheme would not be detrimental to the downstream villages.
The reality is that the MWEFAS was ill-conceived, of sub-standard design and construction, and supported by optimistic hydraulic modelling. Mis-operation in January 2003 resulted in flooding affecting many homes for the first time since 1947. The Jubilee River was recently the subject of a £2.75m out-of-court settlement with the designers’ insurers. Repairs to date are about £3.8m and the Jubilee River is still incapable of carrying its design capacity.
Property values and insurance costs have now been affected by the Environment Agency re-drawing the flood maps.
In fact I believe the probability of flooding in the Thames side villages downstream of Windsor is increasing because the Environment Agency have failed to dredge the Thames for flood defence purposes since 1995. Dredging had been carried out continuously from 1947 until 1995 and I will continue to demand that the EA resume Thames dredging now.
SORRY – BUT NOTHING MORE TO ADD