On the doorstep… car parking, flooding and the paddling pool

I’ve barely started canvassing (well it’s cold out!) but a number of issues have already been raised with me, including:

• Car parking at the Registry Office in Cottingburn: aside from the workforce parking, it is used as free longstay car parking by the general public. There are no regulations for the County’s traffic wardens to enforce – and no car parking for people using the Registry Office. The official line is that all Registry Office appointments are now at the Town Hall so no visitor parking is needed. But that is evidently not the case in practice. In any event, what is NCC doing allowing unregulated free car parking with access from Cottingwood Lane?

• Flooding at Lancaster Park: the drainage on the central field has been engineered wrongly and the field and footpaths flood regularly threatening nearby houses. I raised this at MTC recently but for some reason the press quoted other councillors not me. The wider issue is that there are flooding hazards all over Morpeth that won’t be addressed by the EA town centre scheme – and many likely to be made worse by development in the future. I’m working to make sure all these hazards are featured in the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan.

• Crafting Centre: Morpeth could do with a centre equipped for crafting – from woodturning to silversmithing to silkpainting – as well as selling local crafts like the Chantry or the new gallery up at Northgate. Such workshops could not only offer facilities for local people but they could combine with local B&Bs etc to offer weekend or weeklong ‘interest holidays’ for visitors.

• Carlisle Park Paddling Pool: It’s great the Town Council runs this and it is hugely popular during the summer, but it is open from the end of May to mid September. Apparently, this is a quirk of the insurance cover (which is substantial) – but it has been suggested to me that it’d be better to open at beginning of May and run through the early September.

So – not everyone is talking about the traffic lights, but don’t get me started on that…

It's not going to flood....

We are experiencing a fairly rapid thaw of the snow in the Wansbeck catchment. Apparently it's nothing to worry about, though.

The last time there was a flood in Morpeth because of snow melt was in March 1963. Then there was twice as much snow, it melted over 2 to 3 days and it was accompanied by heavy rain. And the ground was frozen so it couldn't soak up any of the melt.

Today there is only the equivalent of 3" of rain held in the snow, there is no rain forecast and it will probably take 2-3 days at these temperatures for a total melt (we are in December, not March, so the average temperature is a lot lower).

75mm of rain over 3 days equates to approximately 1mm/hr. We are told that the Wansbeck can cope with more than 4mm/hr before there is any worry of possible flooding - even before the flood alleviation measures are built. For it to flood ALL the snow would have to melt within 15 hours and enter the river!

I'm told that the river level may rise a foot or so, but that is all.

Watching the water level.... http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/120694.aspx?stationId=8139

Geoff wants your flood snaps & clips

Dr Geoff Parkin is leading a Newcastle University study of exactly how the water reached different areas of Morpeth and how quickly the flood levels.

He wants to do this using pictures, videos and descriptions contributed by the public.

By the end of November, he wants to collect from the public:

photographs showing flood levels at different times through the day

and descriptions of how, where and when flooding happened.

Photographs (preferably digital) and comments can be contributed by any of the following means:

Website

E-mail

Hand in to:

• Stait Photography, 51 Newgate Street, Morpeth (who will copy photos from camera, memory stick etc onto CD free of charge)
• Castle Morpeth Council FirstCall, 28 Bridge Street, Morpeth
• New Life Christian Centre, 24 Dacre Street, Morpeth
• Or any residents' meetings

Or post to: Geoff Parkin at 39 Mitford Road, Morpeth, NE61 1RG

Geoff Parkin - who is, incidentally, a Green Party member - argued strongly against the previous Env Agency proposals for Morpeth Flood Protection, advocating a comprehensive flood alleviation system of the sort that the Env Agency is proposing now, more than five years (and two floods) later.

Blocked Drains - what the council did

Following on from NCC's 'drain unblocking day' on 9th Oct - several people told me that they hadn't seen the work being done. So I asked County officers for a report on what was done and this is what they said:

"I've checked with the team who did the work and can confirm that three gulley emptiers and one road sweeper/gulley emptier were used on Thursday the 9th to cleanse the road gulleys in the flood affected areas in Morpeth. The areas were split up into four locations and each crew were given a map/location plan of their area to cleanse. The CMBC road sweeper/gulley emptier attended to the Low Stanners area and cleansed gulleys with no problems requiring further attention reported. Overall two gulleys that require further attention were reported , one o/s Roch Catering in the Newmarket and one in Phoenix Court. We hope to resolve these two in the near future."

I also raised the question of the blocked storm drain at the end of Olympia Gardens:

"With regard to Olympia Gdns. we are aware of the blocked road gulleys and have a job sheet in the system to replace the existing gully pots with new ones with rodding eyes as at present we are unable to access the pipework to jet clear the blockage."

Perhaps the most important message is how best to report problems in the future:

"Any specific concerns relating to individual gulleys are best dealt with from now on by residents calling the Highways freephone number 0808 100 8 9 10."

Government reneges on promise to Morpeth

Sorry - couldn't think of a more original headline.

I'm livid that the Government is backtracking on the Minister's (John Healey's) promise on Monday 8th Sept that Morpeth would receive 'all possible help' from the Government.

Now Government is saying that there won't be any emergency flood funding - we'll get 85% of money spent by the council (eventually) under the 'Bellwin' rules - but there'll be no extra money, and the 'Bellwin' period runs out within a couple of months.

The excuse given is that they've blown all their money supporting the banks - and there's none to spare to make a decent job of flood recovery, and maybe use the refurbishment process to make improvements, in energy efficiency, better design against future flooding, improved drainage etc - so-called 'resilience'.

Is it just me who thinks that investing in flood recovery is more important, and will probably have a longer lasting effect than throwing money at the gamblers who run the global economy?

Anyway - there's an 'adjournment debate' on the Morpeth flooding in Parliament on Monday. Let's see what those great champions of Morpeth - (in strict alphabetical order) Peter Atkinson, Sir Alan Beith and Denis Murphy - have to say in our support.

Blocked Drains

Drains and gullies blocked by silt and sand brought through by the flood is one of the more frequent concerns of people are raising with me at the moment. Certainly seeing standing water in Staithes Lane is very unnerving...

So - I'm pleased to report that I'm told there'll be a grand gully clearing this week: the streets will be swept first - then on Thursday, massed ranks of gully clearing machines from all over Northumberland (well, Wansbeck at least) will descend on Morpeth and clear all the street drains out.

There should be notices going out beforehand to warn people to move cars etc to clear the streets.

Anger, blame and fault

People are feeling angry about the flood - it's a natural reaction, and some of that anger will get directed at the councils or the Environment Agency or whoever. But I don't think it is meant - people just need an outlet - so it would be unwise for the councils etc to start feeling defensive or try to argue the point. It is too early to be rational.

As I understand it, the approach being followed will be to keep information flowing - about what has been done, what is going to be done next and giving indicative timescales.

It's also too early to determine what went wrong and what went right. The 'lessons learned' bit comes later - but we do need to collect evidence. And since everyone is bursting with their 'flood stories' (plus photos and videos) - I think it'd be a great idea to start collecting and recording them. Then later - we'll have a broad picture of what happened from lots of different angles.

Meanwhile - I don't think it was helpful for John Healey, the Minister who visited Morpeth to start talking about the refusal of the Env Agency's flood defence proposal a couple of years back. It's almost as if he is trying to blame the people of High Stanners for being flooded out.

What actually happened - as I recall - was that the Env Agency were just talking about flood defence in Morpeth Town, and a 3m bund along the river at High Stanners. The Green Party (led by then Town Councillor Geoff Parkin - a hydrogeologist by trade) argued for a more comprehensive scheme of flood protection and flood prevention - including upstream holding ponds etc. And with a public perception that a bund would destroy the character of High Stanners - the Env Agency withdrew their proposals.
And as a matter of interest - their new Wansbeck catchment strategy sets out a far more comprehensive approach including both preventative and protective measures as the Green Party argued for last time. I hope they'll accelerate their detailed proposals for Morpeth now.

And - for the record - I gather that the 'hundred year flood' we experienced over the weekend would have overtopped a 3m bund on High Stanners even if it had been built.

The Flood - what the councils say

CMBC & NCC have issued a joint leaflet of advice for people whose homes have been flooded. I'll post it (with annotations) below - meanwhile I gather:
i) we may be getting a visit from the relevant Minister - John Healey MP - tomorrow (Monday).
ii) people who have been flooded out and are on the official list for rehousing should here from Castle Morpeth Housing by the end of this week. (Get in touch with your local councillor if they haven't)
iii) The FirstCall office on Bridge Street was flooded and is unusable - but the 01670 535000 number will be answered - and the Town Hall is being converted into an temporary information centre
iv) the wall that collapsed near the Leisure Centre was not part of the flood defence
v) there'll be newsletters published daily
and vi) there's a risk that we may have more flooding from Weds onwards

And so - the official advice:

IMPORTANT We are advised that mains water is safe to drink and use.
Please wash your hands after handling flood damaged material.

RETURNING TO YOUR PROPERTY - Advice from the Environment Agency
§ Take care as there may be hidden dangers in the flood water like sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution.
§ Flood water could have caused structural damage to your property.
§ Ring your buildings and contents insurance company as soon as possible
§ In almost all cases the insurance company will send a loss adjuster to look at your property. They will confirm what repairs and replacements are needed and covered by your policy.
§ If you rent your property, contact your Landlord and your contents insurance company as soon as possible.
§ If you do not have insurance, your local council should be able to provide information on hardship grants or charities that may be able to help you.

ELECTRICAL ADVICE from CE Electric

IF YOUR HOME HAS BEEN FLOODED, PLEASE DO NOT SWITCH ON YOUR ELECTRICITY UNTIL IT HAS BEEN CHECKED BY NEDL 0800 668877

As a safety precaution, CE Electric would like to offer householders the following advice:

• Switch off your power supply at the fuse box if your electrical installation is likely to be affected by water.
• Do NOT operate equipment which is in water or while standing in water. Stay away from any live equipment submerged in water.
• If your internal wiring or appliances have been affected by water, please have them checked by an approved Electrical Contractor before switching your power back on.

UTILITY ADVICE Gas leaks should be reported to 0800 111 999

HEALTH ADVICE from the Health Protection Agency
Infection problems arising from floods in this country are rare. Usually any harmful bugs in floodwater become very diluted and present a low risk, but there are a few precautions to be aware of when dealing with flooding which should prevent unnecessary additional health problems:
Wherever possible, try to avoid coming into direct contact with floodwater. If you have to go into the water, wear waterproof gloves and rubber boots and remember to be careful of potentially concealed hazards.
Wash your hands — this is the most important way to get rid of harmful bugs. Use warm, clean water and soap, then rinse and dry your hands after going to the toilet, before eating or preparing food, after being in contact with flood water, sewage or with items that have been in the water. Use cold water to wash if warm is not available. If there is no clean water, use disposable soapy, wet wipes to carefully clean all parts of your hands and dry them.
Use waterproof plasters.
Keep children out of the water
Don’t eat any food that has been touched or covered by floodwater or sewage.

What if I start to feel unwell?

If you feet unwell this does not necessarily mean that you are suffering from any infection. If you are concerned, then call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or visit your family doctor.
Both the physical stress associated with overexertion in cleaning up premises and the mental stress caused by temporary relocation may make you feel unwell. Remember that tiredness, difficulty steeping and anxiety are normal in these circumstances and may go away with time. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, contact friends, relations or your family doctor. And keep warm — cold can lead to hypothermia.

COUNCIL INFORMATION
What Castle Morpeth Borough Council’s doing now:
• CMBC Green and Clean teams have started to clear debris from streets in the affected areas in Morpeth
• Skips are being placed near to homes in affected areas for residents’ use
• The Council is currently assessing what needs to be done to assist residents and will be working with all key agencies to do this
• The council will continue to offer advice through FirstCall Castle Morpeth on 01670 535000.
• If you’re worried about what to do after a flood or about safeguarding your property if there is more rain, check the environment agency website on http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

What Northumberland County Council is doing now:
• The County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service are pumping out water from streets in Morpeth. • Alternative accommodation is being found for those who need it.
• Highways officers are inspecting bridges, roads, signage, ditches for damage and to ensure that roads and transport links are safe for use by the public.
• A clean up operation has begun — council staff are removing sludge and debris from the roads and pavements.
• Northumberland Care Trust and the County Council are assessing needs of vulnerable people to see what help and support can be offered.

The Flood – the bits I saw – Sunday morning

7:30am Market Place – to confirm that no one had turned up for the cancelled farmers’ market. Pleasant, dry morning – why did I cancel the market?

8am Water had cleared from the New Market, the Chantry, Terrace Car Park – but the Library and Gas House Lane still under water. Road surface ripped up by floods in Chantry Place and Wellwood Gardens.

8.20am Wellwood Gardens, Staithes Lane and the new Low Stanners Car Park still under water.

10am Phone call: “why are they pumping out the Waterford, when Staithes Lane is still under water? Priorities?”

10.30am Checked out Staithes Lane – water retreating but still there, and still getting run-off from Dark Lane. Water level in Low Stanners Car Park is same as river level. Car park was designed to soak away water and that is working, but the water level is too high – which is why there’s no pumping going on. There’s nowhere to pump to.

3pm Debrief for emergency team

4pm Briefing for Morpeth councillors…

The Flood – the bits I saw - Saturday afternoon

2.30pm at the Red Bull: Staithes Lane was under four foot of water with several stranded cars, rising rapidly. Lots of run-off down Dark Lane from both Morrisons filling station and down Stanley Terrace from the bus station into Staithes Lane. Several elderly and poorly people trapped in both Staithes Lane and Wellwood Gardens, but no apparent plans for evacuation. High Stanners and Middle Greens were reportedly being evacuated.

3.30pm Text from Staithes Lane resident saying water was halfway up the stairs, electricity cut-off. Water from Terrace Car Park and Library moving up Dark Lane. Dark Lane flooding to north. One fire engine monitoring Terrace Car Park flooding. Phoned 999 call to alert rescue team on need for evacuation in Staithes Lane. Another fire engine arrived within five minutes – firemen starting ‘assessing problem’, identifying evacuation need.

4pm Third fire engine arrived. Water from Terrace Car Park now flowing down Dark Lane into Staithes Lane and Highways Depot. Dark Lane impassable to north. Burnside Terrace at risk from flooding from springs/drains in front gardens.

4.30pm Vet arrived to evacuate animals from surgery. No boat available for humans (or animals). River Wansbeck effectively flowing past the Red Bull with water up to window sills. Stanley Terrace becoming impassable. Decided to cancel the farmers’ market!

5-5.30pm Fire crew requisitioned a skip from Morrisons and used it as a substitute boat to start evacuation.

6.30pm Finish phoning round the farmers’ markets producers.

8pm Peak of flood. Reported 14 ft deep in some houses. Nearly all residents evacuated from Staithes Lane, though people left in Wellwood Gardens overnight.

Flood Prevention & Protection in Morpeth

Next month (February), the Environment Agency (EA) will start consultation on flood prevention and protection schemes for Morpeth with a view to carrying out works in 2010. The last two proposed schemes were purely about flood protection – the proposal to build a 3m earth mound on High Stanners was rejected by local residents who preferred to accept the risk of flooding, while the concrete walls protecting Low Stanners look ugly and reportedly cause more problems than they solve by merely redirecting water.

This time, however, it sounds as though, the EA will be proposing more integrated plans – so I thought I’d just run over the causes of flooding as I understand them:
i) a sudden release of water – we’re going to get more ‘cloudburst’ style storms as climate change kicks in, but fewer heavy falls of snow with sudden thaws. Not much we can do about that either way – though if we reduce CO2 emissions drastically now, it won’t carry on getting worse for our great-grandchildren
ii) rapid run-off of water: if the ground is impervious – could be waterlogged or could be bone dry or could be covered by tarmac or concrete, then the water will run off rapidly rather than being soaked up and draining slowly. Several things we could do here:
a) don’t build huge areas of concrete or tarmac (like the new Dark Lane car park) without adequate soakaway (not just run-off drainage)
b) create ponds, watermeadows, marshland to absorb the water and slow the drain off. The Northumbrian Water works on Wellway include installation of huge tanks to hold back water when the Cotting Burn can’t cope with the water flowing into it.
c) plant water-loving trees like willows and alders along the river to soak up water (and absorb CO2) – though manage them to avoid branches etc causing blockages (see below)
iii) blockages in the drainage system, streams and rivers. Regular maintenance of storm drains and culverts is a must – any council that tries to save money by skimping on this sort of maintenance is penny-wise, pound-foolish. Litter – especially plastic bags – can be a major cause of blockages. Last year’s floods in Gloucester and Sheffield were made worse by plastic bags clogging the drains.
Debris from trees etc regularly cause blockages in streams and rivers – with the narrow Oldgate Bridge arches are a significant contributor to the High Stanners flood risk. Previous EA responses have involved drastic cutting back of trees along the river bank, but this can lead to erosion. Richard Cansdale is proposing a grid of ramps upstream which will strand tree debris as water levels rise, at a location where they could be regularly cleared.

So let’s see what the Environment Agency propose…