River brings 'anxiety' as more rain forecast

Paula Saunderson said people had had "hardly any respite" since the flooding last winter

Residents whose properties were flooded last winter are concerned ahead of the latest weather warning for heavy rain, a flood warden has said.

People in Newbury, Berkshire, endured flooded homes and gardens at the end of 2023 and the start of 2024.

Paula Saunderson, who runs the Newbury Flood and Drainage Action Group, said people were anxious because the river had not dropped back to its normal September level.

John Winstanley, service director at West Berkshire Council, said people should be "prepared".

Ms Saunderson said the river was "completely out of control" at the beginning of 2023.

"Some people spent six months with the river in their garden from November 2023 through to... even April 2024," she said.

"The river levels have never dropped back to their normal September level... so that immediately brings out the anxiety in the people that were affected."

She said, despite a weekend of rain, the river was currently not near the level that had previously caused "havoc".

"But for this to be happening in September is quite a concern to us," she said.

"We've hardly had any respite this summer."

Ms Saunderson said some people "spent six months" with the river in their gardens

Mr Winstanley said the weekend rain showed how "fragile the river and the network is" at present.

"It reacted straight away to the downpour," he said.

With more rain forecast for Thursday and Friday, he said people should make sure they had joined their local flood groups and were monitoring warnings from the Environment Agency.

He said with the catchment and weather the way it was, it was "very difficult to combat".

"It is inevitable that we will get problems from time to time," he said.