Up to 80 Horncastle properties were flooded after Storm Babet brought over a month’s worth of rain to the county in 24 hours and the flood alleviation. scheme didn’t store as much water as planned.
The Environment Agency – who manage the flood alleviation scheme at Horncastle – will investigate the circumstances around the operation of the scheme over the weekend, and find out why it did not store as large a quantity of water as it was designed to.
Cllr Colin Davie said: “Flooding devastates communities. Back in 2017, flood alleviation schemes opened in Louth and Horncastle, designed to better protect the towns from the misery and disruption that flooding had brought previously.
“Understandably, six years later, residents are asking questions as to why Horncastle faced such extreme flooding again, when the sister scheme in Louth appears to have worked as intended.
“I understand early inspections have pointed to a mechanical fault. Local residents have also raised specific concerns about the way the scheme in Horncastle was operated and the actions of the Environment Agency. We’re keen to see the Agency’s report address these points, and so we’ll be supporting them where we can in completing their review.
“Once the current threat from flooding has completely subsided, as Lead Local Flood Authority for the county we’ll also be completing our own investigations into the recent flooding in Horncastle and elsewhere in Lincolnshire.”
Cllr William Gray, who represents Horncastle and the Keals division on Lincolnshire County Council, added: “I have seen first hand over the weekend and this week the devastation that flooding has caused to properties in Horncastle, with over 80 properties seeing water completely cover their ground floors. More properties were flooded too in nearby Kirkby on Bain and Minting.
“I’m grateful for the rapid response of the county council’s highways service and other agencies in actioning reports and responding to requests for sandbags as the waters rose last week. But now they have subsided, the true extent of the damage to these communities is becoming clearer and residents deserve answers from the Environment Agency.
“The scheme did not work as it is designed to, and ultimately that affected the extent of the flooding in the town and the number of properties that were affected. I hope the EA’s report leaves no stone unturned in investigating the circumstances of last week’s flooding, to stop this from happening again and save residents and businesses from further heartache.”
