CALLS are being made for the investigation into the Boxing Day floods in Warrington to pay particular attention to Lymm and Thelwall after a number of businesses were badly affected.
Bob Barr
Local councillor Bob Barr said: “I was out on Boxing Day to see the land flooded by the water that overflowed from the Manchester Ship Canal. While few homes were affected businesses including stables, the Lymm Piano Business, the Caddicks Nursery site and Lymm Golf Course were all inundated.”
“Most of the business owners accepted that the land around Lymm may have needed to be sacrificed in order to alleviate flooding in Salford and Manchester and to protect Warrington. However, if that was the case they question why they were not warned that such a plan was in place.”
“If opening the sluices at Irlam while leaving them shut at Latchford was an emergency measure, business owners still feel a warning should have been given to help them minimise the risk to livestock, business premises and homes.”
“I understand that the response to the extraordinary circumstances, in a holiday period, by all the agencies involved was prompt and good.
“While I can accept that, I still want to see the investigation ensure that those in Lymm and Thelwall are better informed when they are at risk and are given better warnings when it becomes inevitable that the area will flood. This didn’t happen this time.”
2 Comments
What a crock !, I have a unit there and was there when mr Barr turned up but he never spoke to me or many of the others there at the time. Woodacre farm has not previously flooded in the last 30 years until the council spent millions of rate payers money on flood defences that dont work. I have lost personal possessions, furniture and tools I need to earn a living many others have lost far more some there entire business. I have spoken to many of the unit tennants there and none of them myself included had any knowledge of our impending sacrifice. We do not accept it as necessary to be sacrificed without notice, in fact we don’t accept we should be sacrificed at all just to cover up their failed multi million pound white elephant. The council needs to get its act together and sort out its defences so they actually defend against flooding and not promote it and start treating its public as an important asset to be protected and not an irrelevance to be sacrificed at a moments notice.
I quite agree Geoff. My business is at Woodacre farm we have lost so much and can not get back to work until the buildings dry. Shame Bob wasn’t at the parish council meeting on Tuesday evening. It would be nice to get a response from him and a proper report on the effect on businesses affected .