Somerset housing developers could pay for more flood pumps

Storm Chandra caused devastating flooding and disruption across Somerset in January and February, leading to fresh calls for more investment in flood defences and a review of how and when water was pumped off the Levels and Moors out to sea.

The Environment Agency (EA) - which spent £5m responding to the storms - is looking into additional permanent pumps in the Bathpool area of Taunton and is investing £9m into upgrading existing pumping stations across Somerset.

But Tony Bradford from the Parrett Internal Drainage Board has called for money from local housing developments to be used to install more permanent pumps across Somerset, arguing that the existing reliance on temporary pumps does not go far enough.

EA representative Ross Edwards outlined the agency's response to the winter floods when the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) held its most recent board meeting in Bridgwater on June 5.

Environment Agency representative Ross Edwards (Image: Daniel Mumby)

He said: "We are fully committed to the Levels and Moors being a pump-managed system.

"We are not averse to putting more permanent pumps in - such as at Bathpool, assuming we get all the money - but we are also confident that having that  temporary capability does give the community resilience and flexibility, because no two floods are the same.

"Due to the fact that this area is sparsely populated, we think we've pretty much optimised what we can do with regards to permanent pumping on the wider Levels and Moors.

"We've got a £9m upgrade going into our pumping stations at the moment. New pumps have just gone in at Huish Episcopi, and Midelney, Northmoor and Westover are all on the agenda to have new pumps put in."

Iain Study from the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium welcomed the EA's investment as "great news", adding: "This will secure the future of these pumping stations.

"I would be very keen to work with the EA on further assessment on other ways of fuelling, operating and installing pumps.

"We need to make sure that temporary pumping can be operated as easily as possible going forward."

Mr Bradford - who serves as vice-chair of the SRA - said that further funding for permanent pumps should be secured through the community infrastructure levy (CIL), which is charged on housing developments in certain areas of Somerset.

He said: "Obviously temporary pumping isn't working, otherwise the council wouldn't have declared a serious incident.

"The EA says they couldn't pump earlier because they were spending taxpayers' money - but they were spending taxpayers' money bringing in temporary pumps.

The floodwater in Burrowbridge during the height of Storm Chandra (Image: Zoe Head-Thomas)

"The EA worked their socks off when they got the pumps going - but it took ten days or a fortnight to get them switched on, and by that time people were already up to their necks in water.

"Surely it would be better to have something permanent there? This is not a one-in-100 year event any more - we've had three such events in ten years.

"We need permanent pumps which can be switched on so people can rest easy at night - instead of getting a knock on the door telling them to get out because of flooding. People are petrified.

"We should get some of these developers to pay for permanent pumps. A certain percentage of CIL money should be channelled into getting rid of their excess water, which is having a detrimental impact on low-lying areas in Somerset."