Repeated Flooding Impacts Resident’s Health, Sparks Community Concerns in Wiltshire

A resident whose home has experienced two floods in slightly over a year reports that the resulting stress has negatively impacted her health. The residence of Caroline and Chris Walker in Dauntsey, Wiltshire, was inundated in October 2023, and again sustained damage from water on Sunday during Storm Bert. Mrs Walker stated, “I’ve lost all my hair this year. I have trouble sleeping when it’s raining heavily – I’m constantly checking the river levels and the weather forecast.” In another part of the county, a town councillor expressed a sentiment that his locality was left to “fend for itself” when the storm struck. Mr Walker commented, “It’s very demoralising.” He added, “We spent three months living upstairs while the place dried out the first time and it was another three or four months until the house was put right. “We had literally just finished the last bit of work in the conservatory and it’s the same sort of story, with no indication it’s going to happen again either.” Mrs Walker further stated, “It’s hard to feel positive to be honest. I can’t think about the future at the moment, I’m dealing with what’s happening now.” The Walkers’ residence was among 12 homes in the village affected by flooding during Storm Bert. Jacque Bailey, whose property has been inundated three times since 2007, described the floods as having caused “total devastation” to her life. She remarked, “Your life stops – I’ve not had a life now for over 12 months. I’ve not even been able to live here for the first eight to 10 months.” She continued, “It’s horrible, it’s just an indescribable feeling. It really truly is.” Certain residents within the village attribute the flooding to insufficient maintenance of riverways and the adjacent M4 motorway. Alana Walch, the head teacher of Brinkworth Earl Danby’s C of E Primary School in Dauntsey, noted that flood defences have been fitted at all school entrances, to be deployed if further heavy rain occurs. She expressed that she and numerous families are “worried” that flooding could become an annual event, with no preventative action taken by authorities. She stated, “Last year I was panicking every time it rained after the flood, so I think this year I will be again.” A National Highways spokesperson commented: “We are aware of issues with flooding in the Dauntsey area and are considering all options to remedy the situation, including a scheme to make capacity improvements to the Church Lane overbridge culvert south of the M4.“All culverts in the area are regularly inspected to ensure there is no debris stopping the flow of water. “However, the recent spate of severe weather saw flooding across the region. We will continue to monitor and mitigate the situation as best as we can until we can implement a permanent solution.” Bradford-on-Avon, also in Wiltshire, experienced flooding during Storm Bert, with the community “pulling together” to address the damage. Nick Holder, a Wiltshire council cabinet member, informed BBC Radio Wiltshire that temporary flood barriers were removed by the Environment Agency in October 2022, leaving “no alternative solution.” An Environment Agency (EA) spokesperson explained that the temporary flood barriers were taken down because their continued use posed a risk of harm to individuals. Mr Holder stated that the EA “promised” to provide a viable solution to the town, but residents are “still waiting for it.” He further remarked, “Saying that, businesses and residents have become more resilient, it’s probably because they’ve become more accustomed to it.” He added, “They’re shrugging their shoulders that anything’s going to be done.” Mr Holder concluded, “I want to reiterate, we continue to work with them [The EA]. We continue to press them.” Jack Vittles, Mayor of Bradford-on-Avon, reported that the flooding had attained “record levels.” He stated, “It was over three and a half metres on Monday evening – it’s the worst we’ve ever seen.” He added, “The devastation across the town is catastrophic.” Mr Vittles emphasized the necessity for increased support from the EA in the future. He commented, “They say they have a strategy and flood management plan in the works of Bradford on Avon.” He continued, “I haven’t seen that, and I’m desperate to see it.” Mr Vittles also noted, “We do have a meeting now scheduled with the Environment Agency next week along with our local MP which is great, but obviously it would have been great before this massive flood.” He concluded, “Lets be frank, this is going to happen again and again in Bradford.” An EA spokesperson affirmed its “commitment” to collaborating with partners on developing a flood risk management scheme for Bradford on Avon. They stated, “As we review all available options any scheme would be dependent upon securing the necessary funding.” The spokesperson added, “This was a significant issue previously, and one we will need to resolve. We will communicate the findings with the community as soon as we have a way forward.” They further explained, “Flooding is a natural occurrence, and we cannot eliminate the risk of all flooding. Our National Flood Risk Strategy calls for the nation to embrace a broad range of resilience actions where there is a risk.”