A Burton pensioner and lifelong resident has urged the Environment Agency to consider dredging the River Trent to prevent flooding and potential damage to homes and businesses.
Bill Schofield, 87, who lives in Stapenhill, says he can remember walking over the Ferry Bridge as a boy and seeing the flooding.
He said: "When I was a little boy, when we would walk along the Ferry Bridge, I could put my hand over the side of the bridge and I could touch the water. That's how high it used to be.
"Then, in the 50s, they did some dredging and it made the problem a lot better but now I can see that the silt is starting to return."
Mr Schofield, who worked as a cooper at Bass Brewery before moving to Drakelow Power Station, fears homes and businesses could be severely damaged by floodwater. I've spoken to the agencies, but they won't dredge it.
"We've not had too much rain for the past few years, but if we get a lot, the Trent is going to cause a lot of damage. Agencies are saying that dredging is too expensive, but surely dredging it once is going to cost more than building walls or fixing the damage?"
In November 2000, the River Trent burst its banks and covered the entire Washlands following days of constant rain. The Ferry Bridge was also closed as the river was almost lapping onto the viaduct and the ornamental swan in Stapenhill Gardens looked as though it was swimming in the river.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "Dredging and other types of watercourse management such as vegetation removal are routinely considered when assessing how to manage flood risk, but it can be time-consuming, very costly, damaging to the environment, disruptive to the local community and therefore not as effective as other flood risk measures.
"Due to the physical conditions of the River Trent channel and how quickly any removed silt would be replenished, dredging is not the best long-term solution to reducing flood risk to the town.
"Burton's washlands work in combination with the town's existing defences to better protect more than 7,000 homes and businesses in the town. We are currently progressing plans for multi-million pound works which will see upgrades to the 9km of existing defences, improving the level of protection to more than 3,300 homes.
"This investment will ensure the defences continue to offer the reduction in flood risk for many years to come, supporting the ongoing economic growth of the town.
"We would love to discuss our proposals with the residents and businesses of Burton and will be running a series of drop-in sessions around the town over the coming two weeks."
Environment Agency drop-in sessions
Residents will have a chance to learn more about the planned flood scheme improvement works at a series of drop-in sessions.
These sessions will be held at:
- Branston Golf Club Pavilion on Monday, November 6, at 5pm to 7pm
- Riverside Hotel on Tuesday, November 7, at 5pm to 7pm
- Burton Library on Thursday, November 9, at 11am to 2pm
- Meadowside Leisure Centre on Thursday, November 9, at 3pm to 6pm
- Tesco at St Peter's Bridge on Monday, November 13, at 5pm to 7pm
What to do if you are worried about flooding?
Staffordshire County Council has issued advice on what residents can do if they are worried their homes might become flooded in bad weather.
The council has encouraged residents to:
- plan ahead and buy flood defences or sandbags from local DIY or builders merchants;
- move treasured possessions to a place of safety, such as a room upstairs;
- make a plan, so you know what you will do or where you will go if it does flood;
- keep an eye on flood alerts and sign up for the free Environment Agency flood alerts.
Residents are also being encouraged to make their own provisions for flood defences.
On the council's website, staff warned that sandbags will not prevent floodwater from invading homes and residents should move their belongings to a safe location, usually upstairs.
If a house does become flooded, residents are advised to call the Environment Agency's Floodline service on 0345 988 1188.
