I took the Environment Agency to Steventon to talk to them about the flooding we have seen across the constituency. It has been an exceptional period with the rainfall in February being 280% higher than normal.
We looked at flooding across Steventon and talked about the response to the recent floods – including how the Environment Agency track flood water levels and their engagement with the County Council.
We also discussed our flood defences, and I was glad to hear them confirm that, thanks to Government investment in our flood defences over the past decade, 11,000 homes across the Thames Valley were prevented from being flooded this year. I know that this is no comfort to those were flooded so we also discussed how we can continue to improve our flood defences as well as the impact of Government compensation to affected households.
I also raised the concerns and experiences of constituents who have contacted me about the recent flooding – including the impact of the proposed reservoir on flooding as well as blocked culverts under the Steventon railway bridge, which one constituent was concerned had contributed to flooding. The Environment Agency have said they will look into this.
We will continue to stay in close contact as we have done since the flooding began.
If you want to raise any concerns with me about the recent flooding response, please email me at [email protected]
