Theresa May has called for action to help prevent further serious incidents of flooding in the local area, and to improve the response to flooding when it occurs. She has taken up a series of proposals and suggestions based on comments received from her constituents, following the flooding that affected the local area during January and February.
A number of areas were affected by the flooding, including Cookham, Bisham, Hurley, Wargrave, Sonning and Twyford. Theresa contacted local residents who had raised concerns with her to ask about their experiences and for their comments on what could have been done better – both to prevent flooding in the first place and to respond effectively when it occurrs. She received a considerable number of responses, and has now taken up a range of comments and suggestions with the various agencies involved including the Environment Agency, Thames Water and local councils.
Among the points that Theresa has raised are:
- The lack of dredging along the Thames – Theresa has raised this with the Environment Agency regularly, and has now asked for more information on sites where removing gravel and silt has been identified as having a proven benefit.
- The need for Thames Water to develop a long-term plan to deal with flooding on a wider scale, and consider upgrading their existing drainage and pumping stations.
- The need for quicker delivery of sandbags in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
- The need for clearing of drains and ditches, including in Waltham St Lawrence, Fifield and Sonning.
- FGW and Network Rail’s long-term work to ensure greater flood resilience on the Great Western train line.
- Specific proposals to reduce flood risk in areas including Bisham, Cookham and Hurley.
A detailed list of issues raised by Theresa is available here: Flooding in the Maidenhead Constituency 2014.pdf [588.39KB]
Commenting, Theresa said: “I am very grateful to all the local residents who got in touch with me to pass on their comments and suggestions. It is important that we learn from what happened earlier in the year to ensure that we can reduce flood risk in the local area, and respond better when it occurs. I trust that the various agencies involved will take action in response to this.”
