Floods 'fact of life' for pair forced out of home

Hans and Lynn Shortt have just returned to their cottage in Attleborough, a year after they were flooded out during Storm Babet

A woman who was forced out of her home by rising water said Norfolk was not prepared for more flooding.

Lynn Shortt, 63, and her husband Hans, 73, were flooded out of their house in Attleborough during Storm Babet in October 2023.

The couple have finally moved back into their property, but said they were wary of high waters happening again.

Mrs Shortt said: "Flooding is a fact of life for many of us now."

The Shortts were forced to leave their home when it flooded in Storm Babet in 2023

Mr and Mrs Shortt, who live on Mill Lane, have seen their property flood four times in recent years.

They were forced to live in six holiday rental properties while repair works were carried out.

A year on, they have only just returned and are struggling to feel settled.

"I'll be brutally honest, part of me doesn't actually really want to live here again, because the flooding risk is in my view too high," Mrs Shortt said.

"I'm pleased to be in my own surroundings and sleeping in my own bed, though."

A culvert and storm drain at the back of the Shortt's house was cleared by the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance

One of the causes of the flooding was blocked streams, ditches and culverts, which led to water swamping properties and businesses.

A new trash screen has been fitted to a storm drain near the Shortt's house, to make it easier for people to access the stream and clear debris.

The culvert at the back of their home has also been cleared.

But Mrs Shortt said the county's approach to flooding needed to be "seriously reconsidered".

"I do not believe Norfolk is adequately prepared for flooding," she said.

"I think we simply need to read a newspaper and watch the TV and see what happens every time there's too much water.

"You see the number of houses flooded, you very rarely see flood barriers. The dykes on the side of roads that have been there for hundreds of years have all been filled in.

"So I don't believe we've got a flood plan for Norfolk and I think that's what we need."

'The world is getting wetter'

The flood prevention work near the Shortt's home was carried out as part of a programme of repairs overseen by the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance (NSFA).

On Wednesday, North Norfolk Liberal Democrat MP Steff Aquarone led a debate in Parliament on Norfolk's flood preparedness.

He said: "The challenges we face are so significant and have such an impact that we have to tackle them."

Mrs Shortt said she believed people needed to change the way they thought about rising water levels.

Storm Babet hit places like Norfolk and Suffolk hard - including this scene on Debenham High Street

"The world is getting wetter," she said. "We are building more and more houses. There is less and less land for flood plain. The watercourses are not being kept as clear as they should.

"I think all of these things together suggest it is going to be part and parcel of our lives going forward."

Last year, the Environment Agency said since October 2023's storm it had improved flood warning systems and was working with landowners to "slow the flow" after heavy rain.

It advised people to protect their properties with flood doors and air brick covers - and sign up to the agency's flood warning service.