EU flood help must lead to action to deal with 'wrong kind of rain', says MEP (East Staffordshire Liberal Democrats)

East Staffordshire Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

EU flood help must lead to action to deal with 'wrong kind of rain', says MEP

October 14, 2009 4:19 PM
Originally published by Liz Lynne MEP

The River Severn regularly floods vast areas of countryside south of Worcester.

A warning by the Environment Agency that the 'wrong kind of rain' threatens a repeat of the 2007 floods underlines the need for co-ordinated action to improve drainage and water management, says local Euro MP Liz Lynne.

Environment Agency boss Chris Smith last night called for insurance bosses and government agencies to increase incentives to rip up unused concrete and tarmac areas and improve natural drainage. Otherwise the 'wrong kind of rain' caused by global warming would cause regular disastrous flash floods in urban areas and at major river junctions, he said.

West Midlands LibDem MEP Liz Lynne was instrumental in securing the UK 's bid for £33 million of aid from the EU Solidarity Fund after the 2007 floods which caused severe damage, especially in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire and a number of deaths.

Commenting today, Liz Lynne MEP said: "The EU is now moving towards changes to the EU Solidarity fund to set up a rapid reaction force to deal with disasters such as large scale floods. Funds from the EU also helped offset some of the cost of repairs after the 2007 floods in our region.

"But Chris Smith is absolutely right - there is no point just increasing the response to flooding, we also need to work together to cut the risks of it happening in the first place.

"I have been calling on councils and the Highways Agency to raise standards of drain and gutter cleaning for years. It was a simple case of blocked drains that caused the famous jam on the M5 which marooned Upton on Severn 's expensive mobile flood defences.

"As the region's MEP I have also worked for changes in the EU Common Agricultural Policy to promote sustainable drainage practices on farmland."

"I welcome changes in the law which mean concreting over gardens or other private or business property will need planning permission. But we now need councils and government agencies at every level to make sustainable water management and flood prevention a top priority.

"I would also like to see it taken account of in projects where EU money is used to support local improvements in a range of areas. The EU can also be a very good way of spreading best practice - the Dutch know a thing or too about managing water."

"Cuts in public spending are now the flavour of the month, but governments of any colour must face the fact that spending on infrastructure and drainage is going to have to rise massively if we are to stop 'the wrong kind of rain' causing a catastrophe in a major city like Birmingham."

ENDS

Notes: The July 2007 floods caused serious damage across the West Midlands Region. The Severn Valley Railway between Bewdley and Bridgnorth was closed for 8 months due to mudslides. The line received significant EU help in funding £3 million in repairs. Along the Teme valley, Tenbury Wells also suffered repeated recent floods and a major bridge was swept away in Ludlow . Stratford and parts of Birmingham were flooded, while a man died near the epicenter of a record breaking storm at Wick near Pershore when his car was swept away by a raging torrent at a ford on a minor road.

Chris Smith, now Lord Smith, said the yesterday the problem needed to be addressed since Britain was suffering "a new kind of rain" as a result of climate change. Lord Smith said. "We are having to come to terms with rain that falls in huge quantities, all at once, in one place. With climate change we are likely to see this happening with increasing frequency. The impact on rivers, coastal areas and, above all, on hard-pressed drainage systems can be severe."