Flooding and Emergencies Parish Community Meeting
Present: Cllr Anthony O’Sullivan
Cllr Martin Twyman
Cllr Christine Le Jeune
Cllr Angela Hamilton
Cllr John Joice
Cllr Linda Lodge
Cllr Faith Wright
City Cllr Brian Staley
18 Residents
Apologies:
Apologies were received from Mr Roy Newing, Mr Chris Riddell, Mr Brian Maxted, Mr David
Birt and Mrs Jane Birt.
Cllr O’Sullivan welcomed everyone to the meeting. He explained that the main aims of this
meeting were to share experiences and to suggest actions which could be implemented to
help with future emergency situations. Cllr Twyman gave a brief overview of flooding in the
village from the large floods in 2001 to the present day, informing residents what has been
implemented by various organisations to combat flooding in the future.
Mr Anthony Moorhouse made the first comments regarding the state of the rivers. He stated
that the Little Stour used to be a pretty little stream that children could kayak along. Since
the 2001 floods, when flood channels and flood gates were cut into the river bank, the weeds
have grown back and have not been kept under control. Mr Moorhouse believes this
exacerbated the floods. He has seen little sign of wildlife in the river since the weeds were
allowed to grow back, despite conservation being the main reason the Environment Agency
gives for not carrying out clearance. The river is in such a bad state that it can no longer be
seen.
Another resident supported Mr Moorhouse’s statement that the river is no longer visible
underneath all the vegetation. However, the resident does believe that measures put in
place after the 2001 floods have helped to reduce the impact of the recent floods earlier this
year. During the 2001 floods, the river came right up onto his lawn, but earlier on in the year
it did not come up nearly as far.
Mr Dick Bolton commented on the same conservation stance in Somerset, which saw severe
flooding earlier on in the year. All the rivers are now undergoing a mass clearance to try to
prevent flooding on the same scale happening again. He asked Cllr Twyman, as the person
most knowledgeable in the room with regards to flooding, if the same policy of clearance is
going to be implemented in Kent. Cllr Twyman responded that clearance will be carried out
in the near future. The responsible agencies are under immense pressure to improve the
state of the rivers.
Mr Bolton also commented that without the relief channel and the work of the Environment
Agency, which did a tremendous job during the severe weather, the village would have been
in a much worse state. He also said that he met the designer of the four culverts under
Wickham Lane, who told him that work would be put in hand to improve the design. He
asked Cllr Twyman if this is indeed the case. Cllr Twyman responded that the Environment
Agency is working hard to find a solution, but the large number of services running
underneath the road are posing a problem. The solution will also require a large sum of
money the Environment Agency does not have, but he is putting pressure on them to get a
solution.
Mr Stuart Anderson warned against clearance and general tidying up on the rivers until the
river banks have been strengthened. By clearing the rivers, the flow will be increased and
there is a possibility that pinch points along the river banks will not be able to withstand the
increase. Mr Anderson reported that he had carried out the pinch point test and the water
arriving at The Mill was strong and high enough to cause seepage. The Environment Agency
is not currently proposing to do anything about these pinch points, so all possible options
need to be considered to transfer some of the flow from the main river, especially around
Littlebourne. If the river banks near The Mill cannot be reinforced, then the flow of the river
needs to be reduced to make sure all the sluices can cope. The bypass has been very
effective since it was installed.
Mr Peter Collinson reported that the main issue with the river bank near The Mill is that water
voles are burrowing, causing weak points and seepage. Without the remedial work carried
out just before last winter, the bank would have collapsed under the intense pressure of the
water earlier on in the year and a lot more houses in the area would have been flooded.
Mr Collinson asked Cllr Twyman if the dyke running from the White Bridge to Mr Alan
Holmes’s house was good enough in terms of durability, depth and how much water it
currently takes. Cllr Twyman advised that, in his personal opinion, the situation would be
vastly improved if more water flowed through that particular dyke.
Mr Gerry Hutchings raised the question whether a more permanent measure is required
near the school. Lots of sandbags were used to raise the height of the school wall and
reinforce it. Even if the wall was only raised by a couple of layers of bricks, the sandbags
would not have been so crucial to holding back the water. Cllr Twyman said the wall of
additional sandbags and those at Old Willow Farm were sufficient to hold the water back this
time. Cllr Lodge said the school has no money to raise the wall and had to shut for two days
due to potential flooding and the possibility of the toilets backing up. Cllr Lodge reported that
she was unsure whether there was any point of contact for the school to get advice on what
to do in that situation.
Miss Ruth Wood commented on the lack of detailed information on all the emergency flood
lines. All the information was very generic and she was given sandbags as a precaution,
because her property was deemed “at risk”. However no precise information was given as to
where her property was most likely at risk, whether it be the front or the back, or where to
help prepare their neighbours’ properties. All the agencies performed admirably, however.
Mr Hutchings stated he would have been more than happy to help Cllr Twyman with a
number of measures he was implementing in the village. However, he only became aware of
them once they had been carried out. He suggested an information channel be set up in the
community to better manage volunteers and keep everyone better informed generally.
Mr Bolton commented that a resident in the village sent reports from Ickham and
Wickhambreaux to everyone on his address list. However not everyone was on this list,
meaning a lot of residents were not privy to this information. He suggested that a list be
drawn up to keep all residents informed.
Another resident commented on what appeared to be very little coverage of the flooding in
the local area, with most of the news stations focusing on the severe flooding in Somerset
and other areas. The best information they seemed to access was from the Environment
Agency, but even then it was just regarding the depth of the water in the local area.
Mr Moorhouse commented on the lack of “young people” in attendance at the meeting. He
mentioned how he struggled to put sandbags out and needed assistance. Older residents
have knowledge, but young people are needed for their strength in times of emergency. Miss
Wood responded by saying her husband had helped a number of elderly residents put out
sandbags during the severe weather earlier on in the year and would have been happy to
help anyone if he was told who needed assistance.
Cllr Wright suggested that a Flood Committee should be formed, made up of residents
young and old, to share knowledge and strength in times of trouble. This could also be a
good way to keep local residents informed, having more points of contact other than Cllr
Twyman, allowing the pressure on him to be alleviated slightly and have more contacts on
hand if he was absent. Cllr Wright suggested that Cllr Twyman definitely be on any Flood
Committee formed, because his knowledge is invaluable.
A resident suggested that the Environment Agency has to take some blame for the lack of
specific information residents received. The Agency knows the strength and volume of the
flows in particular areas and knows which areas are most at risk at any given time.
Another resident commented that, had the banks at The Mill breached, the electricity
substation, which is situated below the river level, would certainly have flooded.
Mrs Shirley London of Grove questioned why a local resident, who worked for the
Environment Agency and used to be the usual point of contact, was moved location halfway
through the floods earlier on in the year. Although the replacement contact was pleasant and
helpful, checking on them every day and providing any updates, the timing of the move was
not ideal.
She also agreed that the overall state of the rivers needed looking at. The pumping stations
at Grove were very good, but not 100% effective, as one house in Grove still cannot be
occupied. It feels as though Grove becomes a “dumping ground” sometimes, especially in
terms of flooding where Grove is always hit harder than Wickhambreaux. They said that Cllr
Twyman’s efforts saved their house from flooding, but not every property could be protected.
Cllr O’Sullivan regretted their feeling this way, but said that the water had to go somewhere.
The idea of having a holding reservoir was brought up. Cllr Twyman reported he had already
been pushing for this, but the Environment Agency has said no at this current time.
Cllr O’Sullivan spoke on behalf of half the village of Stodmarsh, which experienced power
cuts from 23 December to 27 December 2013. The half of the village linked to the substation
in Wickhambreaux was fine, but the other half, including his property, was linked to another
more remote substation. The hot lines were reasonably useful, residents were kept informed
of updates to the situation, but the information was usually delayed by 24 hours. Moreover,
initially, the power company refused to accept that there had been a power cut at all.
A resident from Wickhambreaux said there were no power cuts, but the telephone line and
the broadband were cut. Mr Collinson asked if there was a way to connect the two
substations in the event of one failing again. Cllr O’Sullivan did not believe it was possible
but was worth looking into. Mrs Holman reported that, after the hurricane of 1987, there was
talk of the Village Hall being used in the event of a power cut because it works on gas, not
electricity. Cllr Joice said he would happily have this added to the Emergency Plan the
Parish Council hope to formulate over the next few months.
With regards to the response of all the relevant authorities, Mr Collinson said that everyone
involved with keeping the relief channel open and the pumps working did an excellent job.
Miss Wood reported that the most informative website she had found was Canterbury City
Council’s. It had a lot more specific information than any of the others and the Council did
not hesitate to provide more sandbags when it was thought they were required. All the
residents and Councillors wished to thank Cllr Twyman for all his hard work during the floods
this year.
City Cllr Brian Staley told residents he was finding the meeting very informative and was
taking a listening role rather than a speaking role. He agreed that an Emergency Plan was a
very good idea, but mentioned that one emergency not yet considered in the meeting was
snow. There have been incidents in the past where people living in rural communities have
been trapped in Canterbury. Luckily, there are a number of stores in Canterbury, in
agreement with Canterbury City Council, which become safe houses where people can stay.
Cllr Staley said the main point he would be taking back to the Council is the need for one
main point of contact for emergencies rather than a group of numbers currently available.
One clear emergency coordinator and one clear contact number are crucial.
Miss Wood asked Cllr Staley if there is a coordinator in Canterbury City Council for the
whole of the district. Cllr Staley assured Miss Wood that this is the case, but admitted
coordination could do with improvements and more clarity. Mr Bolton asked if Canterbury
City Council actually practises this system of coordination. City Cllr Staley stated that it does,
but he is unsure to what extent. He will pass on to his superiors the need for clarity.
Cllr Twyman reminded residents that Canterbury City Council’s Chief Engineer Ted Edwards
should also have their thanks. He is semi-retired and put in a huge amount of work during
the floods as well. It will be a huge shame to lose his knowledge and expertise when he fully
retires. Considerable thanks must also go to help of the Army. However, as Howe Barracks
is closing, it is not clear whether this would be a reliable source of help in future
emergencies. The Army helped residents by protecting their homes with sandbags and also
helped block a major breach upstream from the Grove Ferry Public House on the Great
Stour, preventing further flooding of the properties in Grove. Cllr Twyman also reported he is
looking into the Kent Highways road closure signs which were confusing and inaccurate,
leaving much to be desired.
Cllr O’Sullivan spoke to all the residents and said all the comments gathered from this
meeting will be put towards creating an Emergency Plan. This plan will be published online
for all to view and an information card will be provided to each household, summarising the
main points of the plan, what to do in the event of an emergency and contact numbers.
Mr Steve Reece asked the Parish Council if they would be incorporating maps of the local
area, pinpointing risk areas and rendezvous points in the Emergency Plan. Cllr O’Sullivan
assured Mr Reece that, along with all the comments received at this meeting, maps will form
the basis of the plan.
Mrs Bolton recommended that no cards be distributed to residents until there is an actual
emergency imminent, or in the winter months, when severe weather is more likely. This will
prevent residents from putting the card in a ‘safe place’ and forgetting about it. Cllr
O’Sullivan informed Mrs Bolton that the Emergency Plan will not be ready until the
autumn/winter period, so hopefully this will minimise the risk of the information card being
filed away somewhere and forgotten about.
Cllr O’Sullivan thanked everyone for attending the meeting and sharing their experiences,
knowledge and suggestions for the future.
Summary of the main points raised:
 Cleaning the rivers
 Directing more water flow out of the main river
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Strengthening the river banks
Sorting the vulnerable pinch points by The Mill
More detailed information in times of emergencies
Address List and/or an information channel
Flooding Management Committee
Holding reservoir
Connection between the electricity substations
Use of the Village Hall in times of emergencies – in particular during power cuts
One point of contact for all residents
Raising the school wall
This document will be considered by the Parish Council at its July meeting and an agreed
version posted on the Council’s website.