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Flood Update Households in Westhorne Avenue who are counting the cost of flooding on Christmas Eve are preparing to sue the Environment Agency.
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ore than 30 families were hit by Agency have as good as admitted their flooding caused by a ‘trash screen’ liability by planning to re-design the on the river Quaggy which became grille. clogged with debris. “They hadn’t thought what would Thousands of gallons of flood water happen if the grid became blocked. The spilt into adjacent houses and gardens only way for the water to go was into up to two feet deep. people’s houses. Some have had to rent temporary housing for six months while repairs are carried out and have seen furniture and kitchen fittings destroyed. The agency is looking to re-design and re-locate the grid, which is intended to catch debris before the Quaggy goes into culverts beneath Westhorne Avenue and Eltham Road. Lawyers acting for their insurance companies have engaged a flood defence specialist to demonstrate the Environment Agency’s key role in creating the disaster. They will be seeking to secure losses suffered by householders which are not covered by insurance. There is also concern that insurance quotes for the homes have risen from £500 to more than £6,000. Andy Drinkwater of the Water Resources Centre said: “These families are not living on a flood plain. The Environment
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“It should have had proper relief channels and been located away from houses”, he said. Many of the houses, which were built to high standards in the 1930s, will lose period features of hard wood panelling and flooring. The Environment Agency admit the grid became blocked early on Christmas Eve but they had been unable to clear it. They left the vicinity without directly alerting householders to the impending flooding of their houses, which happened a few hours later in the middle of the night. Eltham MP Clive Efford has met the affected householders several times and is taking up casework on their behalf. In particular, loss adjustors employed by insurance companies have been deducting their fees from policy holders’ pay-outs.
He said: This can’t be right. People should be fully compensated for the insured losses, not have fees deducted. I shall be contacting the insurance companies on their behalf.” A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “ When the Quaggy was inundated with storm water, following the exceptional rainfall, it overtopped the channel banks in the early hours of Christmas Eve. It was this overwhelming amount of storm water which led to the flooding in Westbourne Avenue." “We understand that local people want to know more about what happened over the incident, and we will be working with them our professional partners to support them throughout this process." "We will work closely with the local community and other risk management authorities over the coming months to further investigate the flooding and identify any plans that could reduce the risk of flooding in the future. “ One family had to cancel a £3,000 holiday of a lifetime to New York, others lost wages to having to take time off to deal with the clear-up.
The Eltham Society was founded in 1965 to ensure that Eltham retained its distinctiveness. It Encourages a high standard of architecture and town planning by stimulating public interest in and care for the beauty, history and character of the area, in addition to encouraging the preservation, development and improvement of areas of public amenity and historic interest The society issues newsletters, holds regular public talks and walks, details can be found on their web site. Membership is just £12.00 a year, contact the Membership Secretary, 354 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE96UE www.theelthamsociety.org.uk
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