Weaverham residents want swift action to stop future floods

Jerry Marshall, who is a member of the River Weaver Navigation Society and a Sandy Lane Flood Monitor, said his group have a five point plan for flood mitigation.

The section 19 report was released this week ahead of CWAC's cabinet meeting on March 17, at which the 19 recommendations contained in it are expected to be endorsed.

Jerry said: "On behalf of local residents in Weaverham, I’m bitterly disappointed with the Section 19 report.

"Overall, and it's easy with the benefit of hindsight of course but it would have been much better to have a ten day report a few weeks after the October 2019 floods.

"Although it's an amazingly detailed report, it's incredibly frustrating that it doesn't say a great deal that's new.

"How can they manage flood levels if they don't know what the level of the river is?

"There’s a vague comment about reviewing sluices in recommendation 9.

"We knew that back in October 2019.

"These is also a recommendation (no. 10) to “Assess whether additional river level monitoring is required between Saltersford Lock and Dutton Lock”.

"What's really frustrating is that wording makes it sounds like its something that will take years.

"The point is that installing a river level monitor doesn't cost much and it will cost more for some poor Council officer to assess and get funding than just getting it done."

Jerry helped many neighbours during the recent floods and wants action taken sooner rather than later.

The group's five point plans is as follows:

1. The river height must be monitored on the pound between Saltersford and Dutton Locks because neither Canal and River Trust nor Environmental Agency had a clue where the water actually was.

2. The two faulty sluices at Dutton that only partially opened in October 2019 and January 2021 must be fixed and the sluices upgraded at per the other sluices.

3. Commission a study on using a tilting weir in the disused locks at Saltersford, Dutton and Western Point, so that at a pre-determined height the river spills downstream regardless of any power cuts or mechanical failure. This would be a very straightforward and inexpensive form of mitigation.

4. Commission a study on using the fields between the canal and river between Saltersford and Dutton Locks for emergency spill over.

5. Consider the potential benefits of giving the Environmental Agency flood and navigation responsibility for the Weaver Navigation, to avoid conflict of interest, as they have on other rivers.

Mr Marshall, who lives in the Sandy Lane area, helped evacuate neighbours during this year's floods, went on to say how he was 'incredibly fortunate' his own home escaped flooding by the small matter of an inch, said action needs to be taken sooner rather than later.

He said: "It came within one inch of flooding our house, which was incredibly fortunate."

"I must say however, the clean up operation by the council was brilliant and the county councillors for our area were too.

"There are lessons to be learnt.

"But please, let's not have loads of meetings and years of discussion and assessment.

"Just get on with it.

Mr Marshall also said he was frustrated with the government for not activating its Property and Flood Resistance grants, which has meant the owners of flooded properties have been denied access to much needed £5000 grants.

He said: "We have people here spending £200,000 on totally rebuilding their houses or raising their houses.

"The government seem to be of the view that the situation wasn't bad enough to come up with the grants, even though it affected more than 250 properties."