News Flood fears reignited for village residents
Flood Action Group members Martin Clarke, Councillor John Jessop and Cllr Paul Robinson want action to improve Gilberdyke\'s flood defence.
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The village of Gilberdyke, one of the worst-affected areas in last year's floods, is not ready to deal with more inundations, according to the local flood action group.
A recent study of the village's drainage system has identified various weaknesses in flood protection - and points worryingly towards more chaos should there be a repeat of 2007's heavy and prolonged rain.
The system's failings include drains that have not been maintained properly, dykes that have not been cleaned out and manholes and pipes that have been allowed to silt up and gather standing water.
The findings stem from an inspection of the village's drainage system by the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group, following a draft report on the area's flood protection by Hull-based engineering consultants Mason Clark.
Members of the action group say there are still weak points in some of the areas worst-affected by last year's floods, including Westbrook Crescent, Westbrook Road, Station Road, Bellasize Park and Clementhorpe Lane.
Parish councillor John Jessop, a member of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group, said various bodies were to blame for the village's lack of flood protection.
He added: "Gilberdyke is not prepared. We want this sorting and we need to see what heads need banging together."
He pointed specifically to the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) and Yorkshire Water, which had statutory powers to correct the situation "but aren't using them", he claimed.
"They are hoping that somebody will pick up the baton and play the game," said Cllr Jessop.
The group found that one open dyke - which used to run through residential properties between Westbrook Road and Bellasize Park - had been potted and, in some cases, filled in by residents, which obstructed the flow of water.
Cllr Jessop said the two critical 'pinch points' - where the dyke system narrows and restricts water flow because of a lack of maintenance - were at the back of the former council houses in Scalby Lane and the southern end of Clementhorpe Lane, where surface water from Bellasize Park had to escape into the railway-side drainage system through a nine-inch pipe.
Cllr Jessop said it was these "critical pinch-points" that caused water to back up into the village.
He added: "Until the filled-in dykes are opened up there is nothing to stop Westbrook Road and Westbrook Crescent flooding again."
He said responsibility for much of the flooding, in the opinion of the Flood Action Group, "must lie with the LOIDB - for its failure to maintain the critical section of open dyke".
The flood action group also found it "astounding" that, during last year's floods, road drainage for the Bellasize Park housing estate was directed towards a small clay drain pot connected to the railway-side dyke, which he described as a 'bottleneck' in the drainage system.
He said the decision, by whichever agency, to countenance this system showed a lack of competence.
He added that it was residents' responsibility to observe riparian laws, which make it the responsibility of householders to maintain drainage ditches that pass through their properties.
And he warned that legal action could result if flood victims sought to recover their costs from riparian owners who failed to carry out their duties to maintain warercourses.
This week a meeting was held at the Gilberdyke home of Howdenshire county councillor Paul Robinson, where representatives from Mason Clark and the flood action group discussed the findings.
At the meeting copies of statements by residents on Westbrook Road were handed to the consultants for inclusion in the final report, along with confirmation of the 'pinch points' and the filled-in dyke on the eastern edge of Bellasize Park.
Mason Clark was asked to make recommendations to overcome these problems as part of its final report, which is due to be published in early September.
Another meeting of all interested parties - among them the Environment Agency, the East Riding Council, the LOIDB, Yorkshire Water, the local MP and ward councillors - would then be held to see what further action was needed and to draw up a timetable.
Cllr Robinson said: "Gilberdyke is not prepared but we've identified where the problems are. Most of it falls down to riparian-ownership issues."
He said the second major reason was that there was "an awful lot" of surface water being diverted into the foul-water system (sewers).
"Certainly, during the floods of June last year the flood water was removed from Gilberdyke not by dykes but by the foul-water system," he said. "The foul-water system just didn't have the capacity to cope. It's ridiculous."
John Sweeting, vice-chairman of the LOIDB, acknowledged that flood protection in the village was currently inadequate and put it down to "a combination" of things.
He added: "Everybody needs to be on the ball; it's up to everyone to pull together."
Mr Sweeting said the LOIDB didn't have responsibility for the drains around Scalby Lane and Clementhorpe Lane.
A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: "Yorkshire Water will look at the findings of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group's report regarding the drainage of Gilberdyke and will investigate any issues related to the Yorkshire Water network.
"Yorkshire Water would be happy to work together with the other agencies responsible for the dykes and ditches in the area in the search for a long-term solution."
Published on 7th August 2008 in News.
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