Milton Keynes flood should have been declared 'major incident'

Milton Keynes University Hospital experienced flooding and had to divert ambulances to alternative sites

Flooding that affected 1,000 properties should have been declared a "major incident", a report has said.

Homes were evacuated and roads closed in Milton Keynes after rain fell at 11.5cm an hour on 27 May 2018.

The flooding caused an estimated £7m of damage.

An independent flood review by AECOM said the "the scale of the flooding would have been better understood" if the emergency services and local authorities had communicated better.

The review said about half of the 1,000 properties affected were internally flooded and 42 had to be evacuated.

Milton Keynes University Hospital and four schools experienced flooding, with the hospital having to redirect ambulances to alternative sites.

"The flooding occurred due to an intense rainfall event which led to the exceedance of local drainage systems," the review said.

The report said some drainage systems were in need of maintenance, but even if they had been in "optimum condition" they would not have been able to manage "such a significant rainfall event".

Homes had to be evacuated and electricity turned off as a safety precaution

The report said a plan setting out how organisations should "work together during a major incident" was not implemented.

"In hindsight, most organisations have explained they believe it should have been," the review said.

The report commended the "ethic and care of staff across organisations" who went "above the call of duty".

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service rescued 22 people from flooded homes and helped to pump out water from a number of properties.

Milton Keynes Council distributed about 500 filled sandbags and 1,500 empty sandbags with nine tonnes of sand to areas hit by the flooding, the report said.

The council also implemented a "short suspension of council tax" for homes affected by the flood and council tenants had their rent waived for two months.