Who cares about January 2024 flooding?

So what do you know?

1. Lots of rain in the Thames catchment led to the Environment Agency opening the radial gates at Taplow on the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel.
2. Flood water was diverted out of the Thames, past Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton and returned into the Thames at Datchet.
3. This action by the Environment Agency may have saved one area but enabled the flood water to travel downstream more quickly, arrive earlier and to rise to a higher level.
4. Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury flooded in January 2024 for the fourth time since the construction (and operation) of the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel in 2002.
5. Failure by RBWM to maintain the Wraysbury Drain (an ancient and important piece of land drainage infrastructure) for many years both exacerbated and extended the flood event.
6. Meanwhile the Environment Agency continues to promote their £500m River Thames Scheme (new bypass channels and weir works) which offer little and ever-reducing improvement upstream of Staines Bridge.

 What can you do to help?

Firstly – and if you are a resident of RBWM please put your name to this petition 

Then please let the Environment Agency know what you think of their River Thames Scheme by responding to their consultation – see details below

The River Thames Scheme  Consultation – closes 4th March 2024

Please make the time to respond to the River Thames Scheme consultation.  This is a big and expensive project.  This is your river, your environment and your money!  You only have this one opportunity available until 4^th March 2024 to submit your views.  Anybody can submit a response to the River Thames Scheme consultation.

https://www.riverthamesscheme.org.uk/consultation

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