Jul 21 2007
No action to deal with the floods- Where was the government and the Environment Agency?
They knew the floods were coming. They knew where the floods were likely to hit. They did very little about it.
??I have been round wet parts of Berkshire yesterday and today. the worst floods occurred where flooding is common in the autumn - low lying roads on land near rivers. Berkshire was plunged into chaos.
Why didn’t the authorities place sandbags on river banks near main roads? Why didn’t they put pumps in place at low points on main routes where water was likely to collect? Why didn’t the authorities get out and clean the drains and ditches before the downpours?
??It is appalling that so many people spent a whole night on the M5 motorway because the authorities could neither keep it open nor conduct them out along the hard shoulder to the nearest exit. It was bad that so many of my constituents spent hours in their cars travelling short distances as main roads were closed near river crossings. Once again public transport was especially badly disrupted.
Ministers should personally supervise a faster clear-up, and apologise for the lack of preparation despite the clear early weather warnings.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
