Meeting hears concerns over Horncastle flood defences

More than 100 people attending the meeting in Horncastle

The Environment Agency (EA) has defended its response to flooding in Horncastle at a public meeting.

More than 100 people attended the event in the Lincolnshire town which was flooded during Storm Babet in October.

A report from the agency last week said that a two-and-a-half hour delay in closing a floodgate did not did not cause 197 properties to flood.

Victoria Atkins MP, who called the meeting, said the EA had "very serious questions to be answered".

The report said flooding on 19 and 20 October 2023 was caused by "heavy rainfall downstream" after the River Bain was hit by up to two months' rain in one day "in excess of the flood storage reservoir scheme design".

The £8m flood storage reservoir scheme was completed in 2017 to reduce flood risk along the River Bain in Horncastle and villages downstream.

Horncastle saw significant flooding as a result of Storm Babet

Ms Atkins said some residents were concerned about the report, accusing the EA of having "marked its own homework".

She said: "There are there are some very detailed, very expert questions from the audience of the Environment Agency as to the modelling they had used, as to the length of time it had taken for the Environment Agency to respond to the calls from local land owners and farmers about the rising water levels.

"I think there are questions also about why it was ahead of a major storm coming, people weren't out checking the assets, checking that they were to be operated automatically rather than manually.

"There are a lot of details here, but I do think the Environment Agency have a huge job to do to regain trust on this."

Speaking at the meeting, a EA representative defended the report saying it "does not contain lies".

He said the town's flood defences had worked in the past but rainfall had "exceeded the design of the scheme".

"We can never guarantee that Horncastle will never flood," he added.