As Broad Town residents are very aware, flooding can be a problem at any time and in particular with the very wet weather that is becoming regular and difficult.
The Parish Council are trying to address the problem in various ways despite its limited powers, including regular pursual of essential highways maintenance tasks by the local authority but also performing local clearance work by our Councillors, and aiming to develop a local flood plan.
There is also a lot that can be done individually, as householders have obligations to keeping waterways and drains clear as well, eg holding to account contractors for proper disposal of waste, such as have been seen to use leaf blowers which blow debris into drains, or polystyrene waste from the building work; unrequited items such as childrens’ toys have also been found in cleared drain areas, creating detrimental blockages.
LOCAL EMERGENCY CONTACT REQUIRED
At the moment Wiltshire Council does not have an emergency contact for the community in a weather emergency, and we would ask if someone would be willing to take on the role. They need a name, email address and telephone number in case we need to ring them. The information is stored on a spreadsheet accessed by the weather emergency team, drainage and emergency planning; it may be shared with the Environment Agency as the statutory partner as requested, but contact will only be made in a weather emergency, or with information pertinent to that role, e.g. training, information, meeting, seminar etc.
It might also be worth noting Wiltshire’s sandbag policy document:
Flood-sandbag-policy.pdf (wiltshire.gov.uk)
