Comberford flood defence looks like a yes

A few weeks ago, after the last heavy rain and consequential flooding, I visted the tiny community of Comberford a few miles north west of Tamworth.

There are less than twenty homes in the main part of the village and, as happens when the river rises, the water burst the banks, flowed across the floodplane and ended up 18 inches deep through the village centre. Unlike last year when homes were flooded, a few weeks ago the riverwater stayed just a few inches below front doors instead laying waste to some gardens.

Whilst there, an idea was hatched by a County official of how to provide some flood defences for the village. The problem is, of course, that because there are so few houses affected by flooding the area is low in the pecking order when it comes to public money for defences. The idea was pretty simple but still costly because it involved hundreds of tonnes of aggregate for a flood bank 80 metres long and a portable flood barrier for the road.

The good news is that after a talk with my contacts at Network Rail they’ve today agreed to provide and put in place for free the aggregate from excavation work they are doing nearby for the West Coast Mainline upgrade whilst the Environment Agency are likely to recipricate with some expertise and also the portable flood defence barrier. And, even better, they’ve agree to try and see it completed as soon as possible.

With luck it will be done before Christmas meaning another community following Elford in dropping down the list of places at risk of flooding.

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