Written Ministerial Statement by Hilary Benn: North East Flooding - 7 October 2008
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn)
Between Friday 5 and Sunday 7 September, severe flooding affected parts of England, with the most affected areas being Morpeth, Rothbury and Ponteland in Northumberland.
Following forecasts of exceptional rainfall in the area, the Environment Agency started to alert local authorities and the emergency services on the 4th September. Calls were made to prepare vulnerable people and areas, including an old people’s home in Ponteland, which was evacuated well before any flooding took place.
In the event 150mm of rain (6 inches) fell onto saturated ground and full river catchments in the North East region over 48 hours. The average for this time of year is 50mm (2 inches) in a month.
Morpeth was the most severely affected area. The first Flood Watch alert was issued at 3.30am on Saturday morning, and warnings escalated throughout the day. A multi-agency GOLD command was established, led by Northumbria Police, and a full evacuation was underway by 4pm, led by the local authority and supported by the emergency services.
Approximately 1000 homes and businesses were affected by the flooding and around 250 families took advantage of rescue centres and temporary accommodation. By Sunday morning, the flood waters had almost completely receded. Roads were re-opened and the centre of Morpeth opened for business before Sunday lunchtime and the recovery operation began.
The local recovery and support operation will continue for some months yet. Specifically, Recovery and Restoration Groups in Castle Morpeth and Alnwick are offering guidance and support to local residents. Representatives of the councils, Fire and Rescue Service and Police have visited local residents to discuss the support available and the National Flood Forum is advising the Recovery and Restoration Groups on the likely issues they will face as the recovery effort continues.
One North East, The Regional Development Agency, has made £500,000 available to help with immediate costs for affected businesses, and my Honourable friend the Minister for Local Government has confirmed that the Bellwin scheme has been activated to cover the immediate local authority costs of responding to the floods. Applications for Bellwin assistance are being prepared by Northumberland County Council, and Castle Morpeth Borough Council.
In addition, many donations have been made, including of furniture and household items. Voluntary agencies and supermarkets have provided food, goods and cleaning materials, and community groups continue to provide drop in centres to give affected families a break from the clean-up operation.
Following the flooding, the Environment Agency are immediately undertaking three emergency works in the area; a structural assessment of a damaged in-river weir upstream of Morpeth; structural assessments of various flood defences in the town; and, designing a replacement floodwall demolished by the force of water pushing against it after the town had been inundated.
The Environment Agency are also developing a new scheme to protect Morpeth to the highest possible standard. The scheme is at the end of year one of its current four year programme and efforts will be made to explore a faster timescale for construction.
On behalf of the House, I would like to thank the emergency services who did a very good job dealing with the flooding and to congratulate the local councils, Environment Agency, voluntary organisations and all others who have come together to help communities get back to normal.
Page published: 7 October 2008