Flooding update 8 March 2014

Ted Edwards, Canterbury City Council’s Engineering Manager, updates on the flooding situation that has caused widespread problems in many of our parishes.

“There is no doubt that the floods along the Nailbourne have seen water levels higher than the last serious flooding we had in 2001. Since then, a lot of work has been carried out to try and avoid an incident of that scale again, and I think we are all pleased to see that fewer homes were flooded this winter. The majority of houses were flooded from ground water, and unfortunately it is very difficult to prevent this from happening.

“Of course for those homes that have been flooded it has been a very distressing time. I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary community spirit that has been evident over the last few weeks and the desire of people to help those around them who have faced such difficulty. Together with the hard work of many organisations and agencies, the relief effort has, in my opinion, gone well.

“It is likely we will see the Nailbourne flow for many weeks to come and ground water levels remain very high. Therefore we are continuing to monitor the situation closely. A substantial period of heavy rain fall may well cause us further problems.

“Some people have been asking for sandbags to be removed, but we would advise against this at the current time in case flooding returns. However, you may wish to move your sandbags to a dry place in the meantime.

“The government has announced various schemes to help flood victims get back on their feet, with support for homeowners, businesses and farmers. Information on these can be found at.

“The council remains available to provide help and support, and you can contact the engineering team via the main council number – 01227 862000 or ourcontact form.

“Finally, I would just like to thank the many people who have taken the time to contact us or write to the press to pass on their appreciation for the support they have received.”

Flooding update 26 February 2014:

Sandbags:

Canterbury City Council'scurrent messageis that the predictions from the Environment Agency are that the high ground water levels could remain for up to two further months before there is an appreciable reduction. If we get a prolonged spell of heavy rain the level of the river could again increase and it would therefore be unwise to start taking sandbags away at this time. CCCwill certainly be maintaining theirsandbag walls at various locations for some time yet and advise that householders hold on to their sandbags in case things should worsen again. Obviously this will be reviewed regularly.

They aremore than happy for all those who have sandbags to hold on to them if they wish.

Flooding update Tuesday 25 February 2014 at 9am

  1. We have been blessed with drier weather over the past few days and as a result some of the water levels have dropped a little in the Nailbourne area. The outlook for this week is for brighter weather with some showery outbursts.
  2. Bourne area: Network Rail, with support from the army carried out major pumping work around the Canterbury –Ashford railway line and as a result the line was able to reopen on Saturday evening. The pumps remain in place but we are not envisaging any further problems at the moment.
  3. Nailbourne: we’re pleased to report that Brewery Lane in Bridge is now clear of water and work has been ongoing to drain down the lake to the west of the High Street.
  4. As the situation has stabilised in Bridge and along the Nailbourne, and having reviewed the situation, we are reducing the need for a permanent information presence in Bridge but will still be holding public information meetings at St Peter’s church on WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY afternoons at 4pm. People can still ring in with queries to 01227 862000.
  5. We have been asked by local residents to remove the public toilets in Bridge and Fordwich and once we have consulted with parish councillors, this can be arranged.
  6. We’re pleased to report that following queries about water safety in the Nailbourne, the Environment Agency and Southern Water carried out tests yesterday afternoon and there are no reported problems.
  7. Kent Highways are working as hard as possible to reopen roads.
  8. Now that it’s a bit drier, we have been receiving requests now for sandbags to be retrieved by us!We are advising against this at the current time because ground water levels remain very high and any heavy rainfall could result in further risk of flooding. People can move their bags to drier places if they wish but we would not advise removing them from properties at the moment. This could remain the situation until April or May.
  9. We have now scaled down our emergency room but it can be redeployed at any time.
  10. Useful links for you:
    Information has been issued by HMG about the flood support package for home owners and businesses and can be found here

Public Health:

Kind regards

Celia

Celia Glynn-Williams

Head of Communications

Canterbury City Council

01227 862065/07525 225315

Flooding update Friday 21 February 2014 at 4pm: An end of week update on the situation with flooding in the district:

Petham bourne

The main new area of flooding concern is the Petham bourne, which is now flowing fast into the Stour.

This has caused flooding on the high speed railway line between Chilham and Chartham and the line is currently closed. Southeastern has made a number of changes to its timetable as a result, with cancellations, bus replacement services and rerouting of some services in place.

A major operation by Network Rail, assisted by the city council, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the military, to pump water off the line is now underway and it is hoped the line may open by Saturday. Live updates are available on Southeastern’s website at

There is a flood risk to a handful of properties on the other side of the railway at Shalmsford Street and sandbags are being provided for these properties.

Nailbourne

There remains considerable flooding in all the villages along the Nailbourne and engineering work is ongoing to try and provide relief and reduce water levels.

It is unlikely the situation will improve until at least four to six weeks’ time because the ground water levels are so high. Many roads remain closed and motorists are being urged to adhere to the closures after incidents of cars being stuck in flood water.

Work has begun to pump water out of a lake to the west of the High Street in Bridge.

Daily meetings are still taking place in the church hall in Bridge at 4pm to answer questions and tackle concerns. These meetings will continue into the weekend. The frequency of these meetings will be reviewed in due course as we enter a more stable position.

Stour

Water levels along the Stour are still quite high but have stabilised and aside from the point where it meets the Petham bourne, as outlined above, there are no other current areas of concern. All car parks in Canterbury are open. Levels in Fordwich and Grove Ferry are high but stable, and precautionary sandbagging has taken place.

Recovery phase

The council continues to coordinate a daily, multi-agency group at Military Road to deal with ongoing issues and we are now starting to plan for the recovery phase of this flooding incident. The government has made a number of announcements about financial support for those affected by flooding and the council is working on arrangements for administering these.

We are also considering options for how sandbags are removed when the time is right and how people can remove flood damaged items from their property. More information will follow on this in due course.

Any resident whose property has been flooded is urged to contact their insurer to discuss their repair requirements if they haven’t already.

Contacts

Our floodline number 01227 862310 is still operating for people with any concerns. People with issues over sewage in their property should call Southern Water on 0845 278 0845.

Kind regards

Rob Davies

Press Officer

Flooding update Monday 17 February 2014 at 11am:

Water levels along the Nailbourne are still quite high and there has been flooding in some locations over the weekend. The peak of the Stour over the weekend was high but did not cause any property flooding that we are aware of.

  • The weather forecast is looking more favourable with only lighter showers for the next couple of days, on the back of a nice day on Sunday.
  • After a quieter Sunday in terms of calls/emails from the public, the operation in our emergency room is going to be scaled down a bit. The phone number 01227 862310 will still be working for people to report problems.
  • Should conditions worsen during the week, we have the staff and resources in place to resume a full emergency rooms service.
  • Engineers are still out and about responding to issues, sandbagging where required and working on measures to reduce flood levels.
  • The army presence has reduced but they are still on standby at the barracks should we need them.
  • The community meetings in Bridge are continuing but this will be reviewed over the next day or two depending on their need in the coming period.
  • We’ll update you again at the end of this week or earlier if there is an issue to report.
  • Thanks for all the nice comments over the last week!

Flooding update Sunday 16 February 2014 :

  • Today has been a drier day with some heavy showers. We have seen some flooding from the Little Stour and engineers have been working to resolve this.
  • As you may have seen on the local BBC news this evening, the army have been out and about helping the effort in villages along the Nailbourne and Stour. Here’s a good write up by the Kentish Gazette:
  • The army has been of great assistance and their help has been much appreciated in areas such as placing sandbags and reassuring the public.
  • The level of the Stour and Nailbourne is still of some concern and the situation is being monitored closely in the run up to tomorrow’s peak in Canterbury at around midday. We still have the army available to us tomorrow if required.
  • Work to build the sandbag channel at Bridge went ahead and is operating successfully.
  • Public meetings in the church in Bridge continue to be well attended and appreciated. The 4pm meeting today was attended by around 60 local people.
  • The forecast for tomorrow is to be dry and sunny and for the week ahead to be unsettled but not on the level seen recently.
  • The emergency phone line 01227 862310 is still in operation.

Flooding update Saturday 15 February 2014 :

  • Following heavy rain yesterday and overnight there is concern about levels in the Stour and Nailbourne over this weekend and these are being closely monitored by the council and Environment Agency.
  • There has been further minor flooding at villages along the Nailbourne overnight from groundwater and the bourne. We have engineers out responding to calls and carrying out any work that is required.
  • There was further flooding of Brewery Lane in Bridge. To try and reduce this, a sandbag channel will be built this afternoon to take water across the High Street from Brewery Lane and into the Nailbourne. The High Street will remain open but motorists are urged to slow down when driving through the water.
  • As a result of the concern about water levels, we have now had the offer of assistance from the military. In order to ensure the fullest protection of people and property, this offer has been accepted. People may therefore start seeing soldiers out and about in villages along the Stour and Nailbourne and the section of the Stour through the city. Their role is to help with any sandbag placement required and to provide reassurance to the public. This morning we have around 3,000 sandbags ready to be deployed if necessary.
  • It should be stressed that at this stage the work of the military is a precautionary measure. We are aware people may be concerned at seeing soldiers on the streets but we want to reassure residents that the weather forecast has improved and the danger of further flooding is manageable by the measures put in place and the resources available.
  • The expected peak of the Stour through the district is around midday tomorrow (Sunday).
  • The council’s emergency room is open. Emergency staff rotas have been prepared and we have enough staff to call on should we require more.
  • Emergency room contacts are 01227 862310 and .

Canterbury City Council – Flooding latest Friday 14 February 2014 at 10.30am

Outlook

  • You’re probably all aware that the weather is forecast to deteriorate again today with up to 10-20mm rain anticipated and strong winds due this evening and overnight.
  • River levels are expected to peak at Wye on Saturday afternoon. Flood warnings will still be in force for East Stour, Fordwich, Sturry, Grove Ferry and Ash levels.
  • For the Nailbourne we are expecting ongoing high river levels following Friday’s rainfall. Flood Warning will remain in force.

Wickhambreaux

  • Our focus today is on Wickhambreaux village. KCC and our engineers are out on site and we’ll be door knocking to give advice and information.
  • There has been overtopping at the water mill in Wickhambreaux so we’ll be removing the paddles during the day to help alleviate the situation and prevent further flooding downstream.

Bridge

  • Kent Highways will be clearing road gullys in Bridge today to ease the flooding.
  • Our Information Centre remains in operation.

Waste Collections

  • Our crews will be out in the Nailbourne villages today collecting where at all possible. We hope to get a crew down Railway Hill in Barham providing the lorry can turn successfully.
  • Where it is impossible to collect bins, people are asked to put their waste in sacks that are being made available at Barham Post Office and the Bridge Information Centre at St Peter’s Church. These are ORANGE (usually purple).

Excavating

Any residents contemplating carrying out excavation work with diggers to help with the flooding, to touch base first with the council engineers or Southern Water to let us know and ask for advice. If a digger hits or damages a sewer for example, it could then give rise to much greater problems as part of the ongoing flood management process and divert much needed resources. This email has been prompted by one incident already and we are keen to avoid it happening again.

They can contact us by ringing 01227 862310 or email or contact Southern Water on 0845 278 0845.

Severe weather and flooding Update from Canterbury city council February 12 at 4pm:

  1. To add to the joy of the rain, we’re now contending with heavy gales this afternoon. Trees have fallen and road closures are in place in South Barham Rd and Radfall Road and there have been train cancellations
  2. The information centre has been in operation in Bridge today. We held two public information sessions at 10am and 4pm and around 50 people attended these today.
  3. We had to close the High St at Bridge for a short time this morning to deal with an issue related to the pumps. It is now reopened.
  4. However the High Street will be CLOSED TOMORROW from 12pm-2pm to bring in new pumps so there will no access through into the village during that time.
  5. We understand that a letter has gone out from the school to parents asking them to be considerate when parking and dropping/collecting children at the moment.
  6. A pump has been installed at Bishopsbourne today.
  7. You may be aware that Littlebourne House nursing home has had ground water issues since last Friday. All the agencies have been working closely with the owner helping to pump out the cellar, install a sandbag wall around the property and ensure that contingency arrangements are in place. We have provided a further 200 sandbags to the property today and we are confident that the situation is under control and the contingencies that are in place with KFRS are controlling the situation.
  8. We are still monitoring the situation at the Aldington reservoir, watching the water levels very carefully. There does not appear to be any major immediate risk of overtopping into the Stour and we would have plenty of notice in which to take action if this was to happen.