Fiskerton residents 'not panicking' over future flood risk

John Bruce said he did not follow instructions to evacuate his home during Storm Babet

People who were urged to leave their homes in a Lincolnshire village because of the threat of flooding say they feel safe despite the ongoing risk.

About 80 homes in Fiskerton were at risk after damage was found along a 30m (98.4ft) section of the River Witham during Storm Babet in October.

Officials previously said repair work could take months to complete.

Resident John Bruce said he did not see "any reason to be overly panicky" about the risk of flooding.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said it had advised people to evacuate their homes after the riverbank was damaged during the storm.

They were told they could return days later after it was found the bank was still holding, and it was put under close monitoring.

Homes in Fiskerton, east of Lincoln, were at risk, the Environment Agency said

Mr Bruce, 76, was one of several residents who defied instructions to evacuate when river levels rose, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Terry Greenaway, 71, and his wife Janet, 68, also opted to stay put but have kept sandbags outside their home.

"I've lived here for over 40 years and the nearest I've seen the water come was about 20 yards from the house," said Mr Greenaway.

"I can only remember the bank bursting once."

Mrs Greenaway added: "I think we're safe for now because the river level has gone down, but they said it could happen again if we get a lot of snow or rain.

"Even if the bank goes, we don't know for definite if it will come to here. Personally, I'm not worried."

But not everyone shared their confidence.

Andy Toone from The Carpenters pub said the evacuation had an impact on business

Andy Toone, 55, owner of The Carpenters pub in Fiskerton, said the evacuation had been "horrendous" for his business.

"The locals who have been here a long time say that the bank is never going to go. But when you start to evacuate a village, people reading that will believe nothing is open," he said.

"The effect on this business has been horrendous. It was only last Friday that a lady rang up and asked if we were open again after the flooding, so there is still an effect."

The pub usually serves up to 70 people on Fridays and Saturdays but welcomed fewer than 30 on both nights last week.

Mr Toone added: "Luckily, we're getting into the Christmas period so it will automatically become quite busy, but we've missed out on about six weeks' worth of normal trade."

Jane Miller said she believed the threat of flooding would always be present

Jane Miller, 64, said: "We can't control nature, nature will have its way. I can only see it getting worse.

"It doesn't matter what they do, I don't think it will ever be enough.

"I think we would be a bit silly if we felt we were going to be alright. I think that threat is always going to be there."

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