Tenbury Needs Better Flood Defences

6.00.02pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 2nd Jul 2007

West Worcestershire's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt, has written to Environment Agency bosses calling for immediate action to protect Tenbury residents from further flooding misery. Mr Burt said that the River Teme had been neglected since flood protection measures had been stopped in the 1970's. He also criticised Malvern Hills District Council for not delivering sufficient sandbags in time to stem the flooding that saw dozens of families evacuated from their homes.

Richard Burt said: "Flood defences on the Severn have proved to be very effective, but the Environment Agency and the District Council seem to have been caught out by the extent of the flooding - the worst in Tenbury since 1947.

"The Kyre Brook has not been cleaned out for many years and even has trees growing in the middle of the stream. Most of the sandbags from the District Council were delivered to the town on Friday, two days too late to save the worst of the flooding in Church Street, Malthouse Mews, Riverside and Scotland Place. Why doesn't the Town Council store the sandbags in Tenbury? It seems a nonsense for supplies to be transported in by the District Council when they are most urgently needed in the town.

"I have written to Environment Agency bosses asking for immediate measures to be taken to improve flood protection now that the clean up operation is underway and the immediate threat has passed. Tenbury residents deserve no less than people in Upton or Worcester when it comes to flood protection."

Mr Burt has also written to the new Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn MP calling for extra money for flood defences in line with Parliamentary Select Committee recommendations to increase flood defences funding to £750 million within five years.