Stratfield Way Residents Claim Inadequate Flood Assistance

Inhabitants of a street affected by flooding during Storm Bert have stated that official assistance was insufficient. Stratfield Way, located in Kettering, Northamptonshire, experienced inundation on Monday after significant rainfall, mirroring extensive flooding that occurred in 2020. Emergency services announced a major incident, given that other areas throughout the county were also severely impacted, such as Billing Aquadrome close to Northampton, from which 1,000 individuals were evacuated. Julie Gillies, who has resided on Stratfield Way for approximately one year, reported an absence of “support and rescue” on Monday. The Environment Agency expressed empathy for residents impacted by the flooding, stating that its alerts are issued based on elements such as river levels and precipitation forecasts. North Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for a statement. Ms Gillies remarked, “If it wasn’t for my neighbour telling me and others what to do, I wouldn’t have known what to have done.” Ms Gillies indicated that the floodwaters inside her residence had reached her skirting boards before receding, leaving her possessions “sopping wet.” She mentioned that certain residents on the street had received text messages warning of flooding, but these warnings reportedly arrived two hours late. She further stated, “There was no rescue at all for disabled, vulnerable, children… whereas when it happened four years ago apparently there were boats down here, fire brigade and everything.” Jonathan Kitchen was in the midst of selling his parents’ previous residence on Stratfield Way when it was flooded on Monday, and he was notified by a neighbour. The property also experienced flooding in 2020 while his parents still resided there. He commented, “I used to cycle around here as a child, it was a floodplain. I don’t know why it was built on.” “We have no one to really talk to about what’s going to happen because we need some sort of flood defence built here to stop this happening again, it could happen any day,” he added. Mr Kitchen indicated that he had received no official communication regarding measures taken to enhance flood defences in the vicinity since the 2020 flooding. He further remarked, “At least if they’ve done something tell us, reassure us, because there’s people living here with great fear, anxiety and they can’t sleep at night.” Marie Charteris, who has resided on the street only since March, had her home inundated on Monday morning. She recounted, “We had to walk up to higher ground and it just kept on coming and coming.” “As we stood on high ground, we could see it moving up and no one came which I couldn’t understand,” she continued. Ms Charteris received a flood warning text message at 08:40 GMT, indicating that the adjacent Slade Brook was anticipated to flood, despite Stratfield Way having already been affected. She added, “I’ve never been involved in a flood before and I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do if it hadn’t of been for my neighbours helping me.” “I’m quite angry that we didn’t get flood alerts earlier since it had happened before,” she stated. She concluded, “I think they really have to look at why it’s happened again.” Alex Cook-Paulson, a resident of Stratfield Way since 2017, reported that her home was not flooded on Monday. Nevertheless, she expressed feeling “devastated” for her neighbours. She observed, “We could see it rapidly rising, there was nothing we could do at all.” “The alert came in far too late, probably an hour and a half too late,” she added. She believed that “no lessons learnt” had occurred since the previous flooding incident. She further commented, “It’s just heartbreaking and I just look at all the dark houses in the evening where people have had to vacate their properties again.” On Monday, North Northamptonshire Council established an assistance centre at the Counties Community Centre in the town, offering support and advice to residents in the Venture Park area. Emergency services had previously stated they were experiencing extreme pressure during Storm Bert, with police and fire control rooms receiving over a thousand calls throughout the weekend. A spokesperson for the fire service reported receiving two calls from the Stratfield Way area on Monday, but it was concluded that there was “no threat to life.” A spokesperson for the Environment Agency, responsible for issuing flood warnings and alerts, conveyed sympathy for “all communities” impacted by Storm Bert. They explained, “We issue flood warnings based on factors such as river levels reaching certain trigger points; the rain forecast and ground conditions. We always carry out a review after flood warnings are issued to see if any improvements are needed for the future, to ensure the service is as accurate and timely as possible for people. We last implemented changes to improve the flood warning service following the winter flooding of 2020/21.”