Marlborough after the flood – next stage – Public Meeting and Working Party

A meeting to learn from what happened on Friday 5 / Sat 6 Jan, to improve planning, resources and defences. It will happen again but next time the town will be better prepared.

At an ‘Extraordinary’ meeting of the Full Town Council – Councillors, with many members of the public present – listened, discussed, and agreed a way forward that will – hopefully – mitigate against a recurrence of events of that Friday and Saturday.

Councillors agreed that a Working Party be convened – not just restricted to Councillors, but to include members of the community, particularly those who were affected by flooding, or who nearly were. To be chaired by Cllr Mark Luson, who also suggested that the Flood Plan aspect of the overall Town Emergency Plan be separated and addressed independently from the other aspects of the Plan which could be reviewed later. Flooding is, at present, the priority.

Councillors also agreed, at the suggestion of one resident present that a ‘Public Meeting’ be convened, where members of the public will have the opportunity to share their experiences and add suggestions, all of which can help the working party create a plan to deal with future flood emergencies in Marlborough. Details about this – what, where, when etc will be published by the Town Council in due course. If anyone wishes to become involved in the Working Party, contact the Town Council at the following e-mail address and include the words ‘Flood Plan Working Party’ in the title of the e-mail: enquiries@marlborough-tc.gov.uk.

Residents present gave harrowing and graphic accounts of their experiences during the flood and in the aftermath. Several residents from London Road who were flooded explained that insurance companies are estimating that it could be a year before their homes are back to a normal habitable condition, and they asked that parking restrictions on that stretch of London Road be changed to enable the trades and builders to be able to park adjacent without the fear of incurring costly parking fines. Not the domain of the Town Council to allow but it was stated that they would support any such proposal to Wiltshire council.

One consistent theme, voiced by many speakers – Councillors and residents – was the role (and actions / lack of) played by Thames Water. Thames Water are responsible for providing a clean supply of water, and the removal of all waste water and sewage. Many residents in the flooded area, and also beyond where the flood hit, experienced sewage coming back up through toilets and pipes in houses, and also raising manhole covers in the road and spilling the noxious content all around. Thames Water are responsible for keeping the River Kennet ‘clean’, but nowadays, and far too often it resembles almost an open sewer in spite of all the valiant efforts of ARK (Action for the River Kennet) and others. When there is (almost any) rain in the area, sewage is fed directly into the river from the sewage plants in Fyfield (upstream from Marlborough) and the town’s sewage works in Elcot Lane. There have been too many incidents where residents have become ill from falling / wading into the river, without protection at times when outflows have happened. The sewage infrastructure in and beneath the town is old, antiquated and dilapidated, and barely able to manage conditions that were prevalent decades ago, let alone nowadays when wear, blockages and deterioration have got worse and demands (from the many new homes) have increased. In short, the system is not up to scratch. Not fit for purpose.

It was suggested and agreed by Councillors that Thames Water representatives be invited to attend a Full Town Council meeting to present what is happening in Marlborough regarding what they are responsible for and what plans they have. One issue is the age and condition of many of the pipes under the streets. Very old, leaky, blocked, all of which exacerbates the sewage problems faced by residents. One resident (of London Road) explained how they have to call Thames Water regularly, to clean out a section of sewage pipe to stop the sewage backing up into their house. Thames Water were apparently called the evening before the flood, the resident wasn’t aware if they responded or not (he didn’t think that they did, no pumping truck was seen or heard) and sure enough, the sewage came back up the pipe into the house.

There was universal thanks from all present who were affected to all the volunteers who helped during the day of the flood and the clean-up after, the Town Council team who played a very important role, and those from the Emergency Services. Many residents have offered help to those affected, and even accommodation to those who were left effectively homeless.

One aspect of a future plan was the role of volunteers and the creation of a list of those willing to step in and help in the event of any such future flooding emergency. The practical aspects of how that will come about will be agreed in the Working Party.

It was a time when the community of Marlborough came together, at a time of real and acute need. The Public Meeting and Working Party will help create a plan to alleviate the effects and damage next time Marlborough is in danger of flooding as surely, it will happen again.