News Battle on to prevent flooding
HOME FLOODED: Daniel Penistone had to gut his Millennium Way home after floodwater poured into the ground floor of the property.
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Efforts are being made to prevent a recurrence of the floods which devastated parts of Goole a fortnight ago.
More than 20 households were affected by the deluge two weeks ago, when heavy overnight rain overwhelmed the drainage system and carried raw sewage into people's homes.
Millennium Way, an estate made up of housing-association properties off Hook Road, bore the brunt of the floods.
The damage wrought by the inundations caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, including ruined kitchen appliances and carpets which had to be ripped out.
It is understood some residents on the estate - which was flooded for the fourth time in as many years - are still in temporary accommodation.
Now the inquest into how the drainage and flood-defence systems failed to protect residents' properties has begun in earnest.
This week Yorkshire Water announced it had agreed to meet Headrow Housing Company, the housing association which owns the properties on Millennium Way, in a bid to find ways to prevent a repeat of the devastation caused by the events of Thursday, August 7.
In the meantime, investigations are continuing into ways of improving the drainage system around Millennium Way and Headrow is also calling for an urgent site meeting with Yorkshire Water as part of renewed efforts to prevent a repeat of the floods.
Yorkshire Water this week confirmed those talks would now go ahead.
However, a spokeswoman said that initial investigations carried out by the utilities company showed there were no blockages in the drains or problems with the sewerage system around Millennium Way.
SHEER VOLUME OF RAIN
"Investigations have shown that the issue was caused by the system being overwhelmed by the sheer volumes of rain that fell," she said.
"However, the company understands that experiencing internal flooding can be very distressing and is therefore carrying out more work to look at what can be done to help protect the properties in Millennium Way from flooding."
Headrow maintains it was powerless to prevent the latest floods - many residents complained they had been hit a year to the day since their properties were last inundated with contaminated flood water - which affected homes within minutes of the clouds bursting.
The company admitted, however, that the portable flood screens ('floodgates') it had issued to residents - with promises that if they fitted them over their doorsteps they would never be flooded again - had been ineffective.
One couple, Daniel Penistone and his partner Linda Tute, suffered about £6,000 of damage to their home.
They and other residents are now considering compensation claims in a bid to recover the cost of the possessions they have lost.
The couple, who moved into their home on Millennium Way just under a year ago, could not afford flood insurance because the premiums on their flood-prone estate - whose properties are about two feet below the road and have pathways allowing water to run down - were so high.
As a result, they have been unable to claim for lost items - among them the birth certificate of their 23-month-old son Kayden and gifts from his Christening.
The toddler is being looked after by relatives while the couple stay at Miss Tute's father's house.
Town mayor Kevin Flynn, who went to see residents the day after the floods, said it was now imperative that Yorkshire Water and other "relevant agencies" got the drainage system right, and urged the council to engage with them to prevent a recurrence of the floods.
MAYOR 'DEEPLY MOVED'
On Monday Cllr Flynn reported his findings to a meeting of Goole Town Council's Planning Committee.
He told members he was deeply moved by what he saw on Millennium Way in the wake of the floods and described the speed at which homes were flooded as "incredible".
"These feats of nature seem to be happening more and more often, unfortunately," said Cllr Flynn. "Millennium Way seems to be particularly vulnerable to the flash floods."
He added that there was "obviously no preparedness, bearing in mind the history (of Millennium Way)".
Cllr Flynn said one family had to live in a house with a sodden carpet for more than two days because the insurance company would not let them tear it up until they had inspected their living room.
"It was pretty distressing just to witness it," said Cllr Flynn. "They (the residents) are concerned about future insurance cover."
The mayor said there were also concerns that Rubens Reach, the new housing development near Millennium Way, could increase the flood risk in the area.
He urged the council to write to Yorkshire Water and other agencies involved in local drainage as a matter of urgency.
On top of this, he called on the council to make an appeal for new furniture on behalf of residents.
The committe voted unanimously to back his proposals.
Cllr Beryl Beck-Taylor said one of the main problems was the uncertainty over who owned the drains and ditches that could help prevent flooding.
She added that the East Riding Council had just appointed an official to look into riparian ownership of ditches.
Riparian rules make it incumbent on residents to clear any drains, ditches, streams or brooks that are on their properties.
In addition, the drainage board was currently trying to establish who owned the local drains so they could be cleared.
Cllr Pat O'Neil said: "The residents need help and they need it now."
She added that the lay of the land in Goole was causing major problems for residents in Millennium Way and other flood-prone areas such as Thorntree Lane, which has been flooded twice this year.
She said areas of Goole that had not experienced flooding in over 100 years were now being affected because of new housing developments.
"Thats because the land has been concreted over," she said. "Now they're flooding every time it rains. It's something we should be very aware of when considering planning applications."
Millennium Way was built on former wetlands but the former Boothferry Council granted planning permission for the housing estate because there was a desperate need for social housing at the time.
Cllr O'Neil said: "That's what tipped them into agreeing to it. All the Goole councillors objected on the grounds of its design. It was the pressure to get the social housing built and that's what pushed it through in the end."
Committee chairman Cllr Malcolm Boatman said: "I think a lot of this flooding is down to the design and lay-out of the houses.
"The problem on Millennium Way is that there is nowhere for the water to stand, and it travels down the drives."
He added: "The drains need to be replaced with larger drains. The only other answer, which we should be pushing them for, is putting a pump in."
On top of Cllr Flynn's recommendations, Cllr Shirley Marhsall called on the council to write a letter of thanks to the fire brigade, which helped residents in the clean-up operation following the floods. Councillors voted unanimously to support this.
Published on 21st August 2008 in News.
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