Newbury: Flooded resident calls for action to protect homes

Sammy Gabriel's garden at his Newbury was flooded in January

People whose homes were flooded earlier this year are braced for further problems as a new warning is issued.

The Environment Agency flood warning covers sections of the River Lambourn, in Berkshire, after the river burst its banks in places.

Some residents in Newbury think more needs to be done to protect homes and infrastructure in West Berkshire.

Sammy Gabriel told the BBC he wants to see better coordination between the various authorities.

He explained: "Just talking to each other, sharing the information and plans for the management of the water, that doesn't cost money. You can stop these things happening with a proper plan.

"The water as it arrives is the Environment Agency's responsibility. As the river overflows, the surface water is West Berkshire Council's responsibility, then it gets into the sewers and drains and it's over to Thames Water.

"If they can't deal with it, it gets back into the river and we have the same amount of water going around in a circle.

"Unless we can break that circle nothing will change".

People whose homes were flooded earlier this year are braced for further problems with a new warning in place

Mr Gabriel is currently sharing the grounds of his home in the town's Shaw Road with local ducks and swans, wading outside his patio doors, following last month's flooding.

He has a wall around his property, installed by a previous owner after floods in 2014, and he has installed pumps which are working hard to clear groundwater that is currently very high.

"The river in the last couple of days has risen significantly," he said, adding: "It rises like this in just hours and then takes weeks or months to drop down and recover."

Mr Gabriel installed pumps to clear the water at his home

Mr Gabriel said he had just begun drying his newly built annexe, which flooded last month.

The flood-water "lifted the entire, very thick, concrete floor up and snapped it in two - the power of this water cannot be underestimated", he warned.

He explained how the community had pulled together in January, sharing pumps, timber, sandbags and tools, adding: "The spirit from these neighbours all banding together helped protect one property, a street, a neighbourhood."

But residents in the town remained on "high alert and watching the weather constantly", Mr Gabriel continued.

He said he believes better monitoring of water levels and using some of the county's open spaces as flood plains could help.

Nigel Foot, a Lib Dem ward councillor for West Berkshire Council, said the authority was better prepared than it was in January.

He said: "We've got a flood forum up and running now and we're working hard to get all the agencies together to work out a strategy."

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