Wealden: No flooding answers, residents fume

Representatives from East Sussex County Council and Wealden District Council joined Peter Midgley of the Environment Agency to tell members of the public what had been done since last October and what was still to be done.

However, many people among the 100-strong audience at Boship Farm Hotel voiced concern at the level of action taken since last year s floods.

Len Ashby, of Uckfield, told the panel: I m a little bit fed up. Every time I go to these meetings all I hear is excuses. We don t get any answers. It s been more than six months now.

He said Government money was available for Uckfield but would not be forthcoming until all the agencies invloved in flood alleviation had agreed a plan. We re waiting for the inter-agencies to get their act together and come up with a reasonable plan to deal with flooding around Uckfield, he said.

Residents also raised concerns that smaller areas of population were continuing to suffer because they were low in priority lists for flood work.

David Marlow, of Horam, said: It might suprise people to hear that Horam was flooded. What exactly does economic justification really mean?

Hellingly Parish Council chairman David White asked the panel how flood funding is used and what happens when it falls below the amount needed to serve the whole county.

He said: Have you ever contacted Hellingly Parish Council and told us we haven t got the funding? Do you say to the Government, If you don t give us what we re asking for we won t be able to do everything that is needed? Do you specify the areas that you will not be able to look after or is it just a general comment? I think you don t want to be seen as the men who stir things up.

The panel, which included Mike Fleming from Wealden and Chris Walker from ESCC, revealed that a strategic forum for flood alleviation work had been drawn up, and that its first meeting in July would be chaired by the Environment Agency.

A spokesman for Wealden said both councils hoped the forum would be a robust lobbying body better placed to jointly bid for funding from MAFF for flood alleviation and drainage projects.

Mr Fleming added: If we can pool our resources it must be better than working individually.

Mr Walker said the total cost of the flooding to the county council was 6 million, of which 5 million was for road damage alone. He said work carried out by the council included inspecting culverts and bridges, repairing landslips andthousands of potholes. Mr Fleming said that since October s floods, Wealden had set aside 50,000 to be spent on flooding works and had bid for 400,000 of funding from MAFF to carry out further work. He said the council was also looking at the use of flood doors at times of emergency.

Mr Midgley revealed that out of the 960,000 the Environment Agency had received for Sussex, something in the order of 120,000-150,000 has been set aside for Wealden.

Published: 31.5.01 Sussex Newspapers Ltd