UK floods: Buckskin area given April estimate for flood-level drop

The council said the amount of water pumped out of Buckskin amounted to about 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Residents on a flooded housing estate have been told by the Environment Agency to expect water levels in the area to remain high until April.

About 70 houses have been evacuated in Buckskin, Hampshire, and an estimated 77 million litres of floodwater pumped out since 8 February.

Ground water began to overwhelm the drainage system on 8 February.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said it was looking at an alternative flood alleviation scheme.

'High-volume pumps'

Its chief executive Tony Curtis said Hampshire's flood action group was looking into setting up a "mini reservoir" near Buckskin to act as a water storage area, and using "high volume pumps" from the fire service to remove larger amounts of water.

"We have been discussing whether we can find any innovative solutions to divert more water out of the area," he said.

He added the current system of tankers pumping relatively small amounts of "foul excess water" into the nearby sewage system was not a long-term solution as "the water coming out of the ground is filling the space just vacated".

Mr Curtis said Buckskin residents were "very concerned" at the three public meetings held in the past two weeks, but that they were "grateful for all the help and advice they have been given".

Elsewhere, a temporary barrier has been erected near Romsey, Hampshire, to channel fast-flowing water from the River Test away from the town into a flood plain.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue said this was to prevent the risk of flooding to about 300 properties in the area.