Hampshire residents can help fight winter flooding
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
With the ground still saturated after one of the wettest springs and summers on record, Hampshire residents are being encouraged to clear their garden ditches and play their part in preventing localised flooding.
Hampshire County Council spends more than £2 million a year maintaining 900 kilometres of highway drains and more than 200,000 roadside gullies. When flooding does occur the Council's team of emergency engineers are on call continuously seven days a week to unblock highway drains, coordinate work with the police and other emergency services and clear fallen trees from roads - all to keep the county's roads clear and traffic flowing. Residents can help by reporting problems online.
Fallen leaves pose extra risk
However there are many other gullies and watercourses on private land, and blockages here can often lead to flooding after heavy rainfall, particular during autumn when fallen leaves are an additional risk. Hampshire residents can help to prevent flooding with a few simple steps, says Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Transport and Environment, Councillor Mel Kendal:
"We can't prevent flooding completely but there is a lot that we can do to reduce the impact on our neighbourhoods. After this year's prolonged period of wet weather it is especially important that we all take some time to regularly check ditches and watercourses on our own land to make sure they are clear of leaves, vegetation and other debris and not blocked up by grass cuttings or other rubbish.
"Residents can also help us make sure that plans to minimise and prevent future flooding are as accurate and up-to-date as possible, by completing our online consultation questionnaire. By passing on their local knowledge and experience of flooding in local areas, we can check that information we hold, about the extent and frequency of previous flooding, is correct.
Self-help parish partnerships
"I would like to draw attention to the excellent work carried out by the self-help parish partnerships and communities which warn local people of imminent flooding, support those affected and help to clear up afterwards. For further advice please visit the Local Resilience Forum webpage and select 'Your community'."
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