Action to combat flooding proposed

12.16.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 29th Jul 2008

• ONE year on from the summer 2007 floods, a Richmond Council Scrutiny Task Group has unveiled its findings following an in-depth investigation.

Their report shows that the borough's ageing infrastructure is already unable to cope with the demands placed upon it and the position is set to worsen with the predicted increase in extreme weather. There is room for improvement in the way all agencies work in partnership when responding to the risk of flooding, the report states. Key recommendations include the need to upgrade sewer and drainage systems and that the Council should take a lead role in joint agency work and in educating local residents about sustainable drainage and water conservation. It also points out that improvements need to be made to the Council's gully cleaning service and the recording of flood risk information. The Task Group was setup in July 2007 and heard evidence from a range of organisations including the Council, the Environment Agency and Thames Water at nine meetings. The final report will be circulated to a wide range of organisations and submitted to the Council's Cabinet for a formal response in September.

Chair of the Task Group, Cllr Zoe McLeod, said: "Our aim was to take a comprehensive look at the causes of last July's flooding in the borough and to see what lessons could be learnt to prevent it happening again. There is no magic wand for this problem. Most surface water flooding is caused by inadequate sewers built for the need of a Victorian population. We can't stop the rain but we have made a series of practical recommendations to ensure that the council is doing everything it can to minimise the detrimental impact. This is especially important as climate change is expected to lead to more extreme weather events. I would like to thank the many people who contributed to this report for their hard work and commitment, especially to the expert local residents who volunteered their time. We hope the Council will adopt these recommendations."