Village flood problems
IN REPLY to Martin Dove’s letter (Express October 18) regarding the recent flooding and the spillway at St Aidan’s, his letter also contains inaccuracies.
The Environment Agency knew all about the spillway being cut as they, UK Coal and Leeds City Council have been in talks for months. I know this as a fact as I sit on the St Aidan’s liaison committee. Things only started to move when our MP Alec Shelbrooke was contacted for help.
At the time of the visit and photos being taken no flood water was going over the spillway into the site, although the river was to the bank top and flooding the catchments areas lower downstream.
As for 2ft 4in of water in the site, this could have come from the very large grassed over spoil heap, or Fleakingley Beck? As only 2ft 4in of water was in the site this is a mere drop in the lake, if you pardon the pun, as the site is supposed to hold three million cubic metres of water.
Many concerned residents of Allerton Bywater, and I am sure surrounding villages, eagerly await the collation of data from the Environment Agency about the latest flooding.
The streets around Victoria sheltered housing complex, the Anchor and Victoria public houses did not flood this time because the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water finally sorted out the flap valves on the river which were stuck open allowing flood water from the river to flood this area of the village, as it did in June.
As I have lived in the village for 40 years and have been a parish councillor for 13, I am perfectly aware of the village boundaries where Mr Dove lives on Barnsdale Road, his house is on a designated flood plain. If he did not know the area did he or his solicitor do a land search of the area before buying his house?
Regarding his precept, this is for the upkeep of the whole of the village which is looking better than it’s ever done in the last 40 years.
So come on Mr Dove, we should all be singing from the same song sheet and hold the various agencies to account to deliver what has been promised for years at St Aidan’s. And maybe Barnsdale Road won’t flood as badly.
MICHAEL WEAVER
Leeds Road
Allerton Bywater
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wakefield
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
