Nine Individuals Remain at Flooded Caravan Site Despite Major Incident Declaration

The local council reported that nine individuals have declined to evacuate a flooded caravan park in Northamptonshire, even after emergency services announced a major incident. Adam Brown, leader of West Northamptonshire Council, stated that while a small contingent had not departed their residences, approximately 1,000 people in total had been moved out of the park. He further noted that 63 individuals were receiving shelter at Lings Forum Leisure Centre, and an additional 43 were housed in different lodging arrangements. Mr. Brown expressed apprehension that rainfall anticipated for Wednesday might exacerbate flooding, though agencies had convened to formulate preparatory measures. Upstream along the River Nene, residents of mobile homes at Yarwell Mill, situated north of Oundle, received evacuation recommendations based on Environment Agency guidance indicating that water levels in that vicinity have not yet reached their highest point. North Northamptonshire Council confirmed it has established provisions to provide refuge for residents if the necessity arises. Storm Bert has resulted in extensive disruption throughout the county, prompting the issuance of multiple flood warnings, including a “severe” one at Billing Aquadrome, located near Northampton. Numerous roads have been shut down, and train services are not operating at Northampton Railway Station, following the complete inundation of tracks overnight leading into Monday. Mr. Brown noted that river levels in certain areas surpassed those observed during the destructive floods of 1998, though existing defenses helped to lessen the potential severity of the impact. He stated, “In the aftermath… we can review what happened and what could be improved.” He added, “We will carry out analysis and work with government to see if we need to take further steps to increase resilience of local areas, because we know heavy rainfall and more severe weather events are coming more frequent. “We are very conscious of the fact people want to see greater investment in our flood infrastructure.” Currently, repairs are being conducted at Northampton station. Network Rail informed travelers that the tracks would stay closed throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. Andrew McGill of London Northwestern confirmed that substitute rail buses would be in service. Supt Steve Freeman, who is leading the flood response via the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), stated: “We are still treating this situation as a major incident. “For the people being asked to evacuate their homes, I do not underestimate the impact this has and I’d like to thank everyone there for their cooperation, during what we know is a very worrying and upsetting time.” Updates on Northamptonshire news are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.