Widespread flooding across Stratford district with Henley hit hard by constant rain and rising river levels
STORM Babet took its toll on parts of the Stratford district with some roads made impassable, villages getting cut off and vehicles being abandoned in rising floodwater.
One effect of the drains being overwhelmed was that toilets were unable to flush properly in some areas. And part of the blame for gardens becoming waterlogged was levelled at 4x4 drivers going too fast on flooded highways and causing huge bow waves, soaking residential properties.
The grounds of Charlecote Park were badly hit by extensive flooding and a 260-year old Cedar of Lebanon tree in the deer park – thought to have been planted by the great landscape architect Sir Lancelot “Capability” Brown – was uprooted.
The railway station at Wood End, Tanworth-in-Arden was flooded, affecting train journeys between Stratford and Birmingham.
And Wilmcote Road in Aston Cantlow was one of the rural thoroughfares so badly flooded that drivers left their vehicles stranded in the water.
Aston Cantlow resident Liz Statham told the Herald that the village was cut off all day on Friday through to mid-morning on Saturday. Wilmcote Road was blocked and other roads were impassable. “It was a no-go area, to be honest,” she said.
“Children couldn’t go to school and people in unscheduled instances were working from home. It would have been impossible for the emergency services to get to the village. Maybe fire engines would have got through, but that would have been it.”
And there was a recurring problem at Halford roundabout near Shipston, which at one point was overwhelmed by floodwater. The road leading to Ettington from the traffic island was badly affected – though not the Halford side – and some vehicles were abandoned there.
Halford Parish Council chairman Cllr Nicholas Gale told the Herald that the difficulties occurred every time there was heavy rain. “There’s a culvert underneath which is very difficult to put right without a long period of disruption to the traffic,” he said.
But Cllr Gale said Warwickshire County Council’s highways department were well aware of the problem and it was on their “to do” list. It was among several priorities to be dealt with.
Welford was another village badly affected by the storm. Stratford district councillor Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem, Welford) told the Herald that several roads in the parish were flooded – including the road between Barton and Welford – with river levels quite high. Water had reached “worrying levels, so that it was difficult for people to come out of their homes”.
She said: “Warwickshire County Council was contacted, and they will be coming to jet the drains. But without an upgrade to drainage infrastructure and the use of permeable surfaces in all new developments, sadly we are going to see repeats of this type of flooding, especially with the increased rainfall because of climate change.”
Bidford was also hit, but according to one resident – who preferred not to be named - the main problem was with drains that created difficulties with flushing toilets. The resident told the Herald: “All houses and drains seem to drain into a 12-inch drain that goes down Victoria Road, so no wonder we all struggled. I think new estates have been added to it, so that makes it worse.”
Elisabeth Uggerloese, the clerk to Bidford Parish Council, said another issue was 4x4 vehicles being driven too fast through flooded roads – particularly along part of Victoria Road – creating bow waves that drenched people’s front gardens.
Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, Charlecote Park was a major victim of the torrential rain. A spokesperson for the National Trust, which administers the property, told the Herald: “Charlecote Park was closed on Saturday and Sunday due to extensive flooding following Storm Babet.
“A 260-year old Cedar of Lebanon came down in the deer park, probably due to the weight of water brought by the storm. The tree is thought to have been planted in the 1760s as part of improvements made by ‘Capability’ Brown.
“While Charlecote is now open again to visitors large areas of the parkland remain closed or inaccessible due to flooding, storm damage and waterlogged ground.”
On Friday when the deluge was at its most damaging a Warwickshire TCG (Tactical Co-ordination Group) was formed to monitor the impact of the flooding on the county, with Stratford District Council attending as one of the partner agencies.
A district council spokeswoman told the Herald a key outcome of this was to make sure street lights were kept on overnight. It was also decided to activate the multi-agency flood plan which came under a group known as the Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum (WLRF).
She said that from a district council standpoint, services were operating as normal, although the public toilets at Bridgeway were closed and the Recreation Ground car park was also shut because of flooding. There was no disruption to refuse and recycling services.
The spokeswoman said the main effect of the flooding in the district was road closures, with lots of surface water.
She added: “There was no significant increase in calls, but the calls we did get were about sandbags. We didn’t have any severe flood warnings in place.”
The spokeswoman drew attention to the fact that Alcester Food Festival had been cancelled, as was the Stratford ParkRun.
However, she pointed out that last week’s rainfall and flooding was nowhere near the levels of July 2007, when the district council had provided £500,000 in compensation to households affected by flooding – amounting to £250 per household.
