'I won't be able to cope if my home floods again'

Hazel Pritchett is disappointed to hear about the delay in finishing the flood defence scheme

"I am 87 years old and I feel I can't cope any more if my home floods again."

Hazel Pritchett has spoken about her worries for the future after she was forced out of her home in Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, after it flooded twice in the past three years.

Flooding is a major problem in the village, and to alleviate the issue, the Environment Agency started building a £26m flood reservoir last October, which is expected to be completed in winter 2025.

However, the EA said poor weather conditions had resulted in a delay of about two years, leaving residents like Mrs Pritchett "anxious" about the winters ahead.

The reservoir is being built on land at Hunters Hill Farm, Lambley Road, as part of the Lowdham Cocker Beck Flood Alleviation Scheme.

People living in the village say it gave them "hope" in tackling flooding when it was first announced, but its extended delay has left them worried about the future.

The reservoir is now expected to be completed in 2027

Mrs Pritchett has lived in Limetree Gardens for eight years, and recently had to leave her home for six months when it flooded during Storm Babet.

"It fills me with dread every time it rains," she says.

Household items and personal possessions of hers were ruined, and she said evacuating her home at her age was "exhausting".

She added: "This delay is frightening. Two and a half years is a long time to wait... I don't know what I'll do in the meantime.

"There is nothing I can do once it comes. I think about [relocating] all the time, but can we even sell our houses?

"I feel I can't cope any more if my home floods again."

Rob Boddington, 64, is one of the volunteers at the Lowdham Flood Action Group.

He and other members of the group will be putting up makeshift defences like flood blocks made out of recycled tyres to protect residents against heavy rain.

Rob Boddington hopes his defences will be enough this winter

He said: "It is disappointing, but I understand the pressures the project team are under.

"We don't fully know if these defences will work – it is our first winter trialling them.

"You also have to be conscious that as we deflect water from one place, it goes somewhere else, putting other parts of the village at risk.

"We will do the best we can to deal with it."

Linda Maddex, 64, considers herself "lucky" as her house has never flooded, but she is concerned that may change if the weather gets worse in the upcoming months.

The 64-year-old said: "We are a community that pulls together.

"Last time, we were out with wheelie bins and buckets, and the local flooding group are brilliant.

"But I just worry that it won't be enough.

"Do they need to put more workmen on it? I am not sure; I just want it to be brought forward."

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: "We are doing everything possible to complete the scheme as quickly as we can.

"[The EA] will continue to keep the local community informed about progress."