News, Politics

Victims of ‘devastating’ Eastwood flooding demand answers during Government minister’s visit

By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

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The victims of “devastating” flooding in a Nottinghamshire town demanded answers and action from a Government minister who visited the area to assess prevention work.

A total of 76 properties were flooded in Eastwood in October 2023 during Storm Babet.

The area most affected was the Coach Drive estate, next to the Eastwood Town Cricket Club ground.

Residents had to be evacuated from their homes when the Beauvale Brook burst its banks, and some homes were submerged in around five feet of water.

Rhoda Charlton and Carol Bridgeman, who live on the Coach Drive estate, were among several other residents who met the Government’s flooding minister, Emma Hardy, during a visit on Monday (March 24).

They recalled seeing water rising “very, very fast” in their gardens, and their homes were flooded front-to-back within the space of a few hours.

“The force of the water was alarming,” Ms Charlton said.

“The water came down this lane like a river. The fire service who came would not go in it, they said it is too dangerous.

“In the initial stages we were very well supported with help and grants of money. Then everything went quiet. No matter how many emails we sent to the [county council], it felt like we were being fobbed off.

“We need some sort of reassurance that things are being done to prevent such a tragedy in the future. It is not just a physical tragedy as in your property is damaged, it is very much a personal tragedy.

“The positive thing is that she [the minister] is here and listening to people.”

Ms Bridgeman added: “The time it has taken for people to get back in their homes is horrendous. Some people are still not back in from October 2023.”

They told the Local Democracy Reporting Service residents had been promised a public meeting the following March, but this was not arranged until Broxtowe’s new MP, Juliet Campbell (Lab), intervened and organised one in November last year.

Ms Campbell said: “Flooding has happened since Babet, so what we want to do is make sure we get the flood resilience in place, make sure we get people within the community organised so they too can support one-another.

“But actually it is not down to them. We need to make sure we have the proper facilities in place so this kind of damage doesn’t happen again.”

Stephen Wyre, chairman of the cricket club, also met the flooding minister to discuss the impact on them.

He said they had spent thousands of pounds on renovations, on top of losing roughly £2,000 each month before they were able to host matches again in June last year.

“It is fantastic they are taking an interest in a little club like us, in a little town, but the most important thing is what are they going to do to prevent it happening again,” he said.

“Action is what is needed now.”

Flooding minister Emma Hardy said: “One of the main messages is to understand the cause of the flooding. That’s one of the points I’m going to take away, go back to the Environment Agency, and have that conversation.

“We’re investing £2.65bn in the next two years to build, upgrade and improve flood defences, because flood defences have been left in the worst state on record after 14 years of the previous Conservative Government.

“I have immediately moved money into maintenance because we need to maintain the assets we already have.

“We also need to look at some of our assets and upgrade them because they were built in the past for past assumptions on the level of flooding, and we know climate change makes flooding a more frequent occurrence.

“Shortly we are going to announce funding for the next year and where all of that is going, and also announcing a review into the flood funding formula to make sure it is set for the future.”

Nottinghamshire County Council, the flood authority, conducted an investigation after the incident.

A report suggests there could have been a number of reasons for the flooding, including that large volumes of water were discharged from the Moorgreen Reservoir, into an adjacent pond, which then runs into Beauvale Brook.

It also suggests flows of water came from nearby agricultural land, while the brook itself had various instances of blockages and excessive vegetation – which could have “exacerbated” the rise in water.

The Environment Agency said the County Council has been leading investigations in Eastwood, but the authority did not respond by time of publication when approached for comment.

Broxtowe Borough Council has also been contacted for comment.