As Cornwall marks the one year anniversary of the devastating floods that hit the county last November, work is well underway to help reduce flood risk to properties in the affected communities through partnership working.

Since the flooding last November, officers from Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency have been working together to investigate how flood risk in the main affected locations could be reduced. Information collected at the community flood surgeries held after the flooding was used to inform this work.

As part of this work, two Community Flood Recovery Groups and a Steering Group have been established, which will deal with issues of policy and the direction of resources and two community groups based on community network areas.

‘A lot of work has been undertaken since the floods and more is planned to reduce risk of flooding. This really has been a partnership with everyone, including people who were flooded, working together to improve community resilience,’ said Gordon Trapmore for the Environment Agency.

‘Community-led Flood Plan Groups started work on writing community plans to deal with the immediate effects of a flood and have recruited dozens of flood wardens to help identify vulnerable people and manage local issues.’

Installation of property protection will soon start on a number of properties to reduce the flood risk and level of damage caused by flooding. More than 180 homes will have protection measures installed in the coming months.

This scheme aims to provide flood resistance measures to properties in communities where a traditional flood alleviation scheme is not economically viable, but where there is still a need for flood protection.

Community Flood Plans for Mevagissey, Lostwithiel, St Blazey/Par, Tregrehan and Polmassick are nearing completion and most are on course for completion by the time of the anniversary of the flooding.

Dozens of flood wardens have been recruited and the flood plans were tested during the heavy rainfall of 24 October this year when the Environment Agency provided Flood Alerts to wardens in Mevagissey and St Blazey, and the plans were tested.

A flood fair was staged in St Austell in June where flood protection product manufacturers from across the country attended. Officers were on hand from Cornwall Council, the Environment Agency, the National Flood Forum and South West Water to talk to hundreds of flood affected residents who came to see the property protection products available and find out how they could develop flood plans.

A successful bid by Cornwall Council to the Environment Agency for funding to help householders protect their homes against future flooding incidents means that £586,000 was made available and work is about to start on individual property protection (IPP) measures.

In addition, Cornwall Council has recently successfully secured further grant funding of £4,250 per house to better protect approximately 40 additional properties in the Charlestown, Coverack, Lerryn, Millpool, Portloe, St Austell Urban Village, Holmbush, Pentewan, Tregony and Luxulyan communities from flood damage. Eligible residential dwellings in these communities can also receive individual property protection measures and this scheme will run in conjunction with the existing scheme currently being undertaken in Lostwithiel, Mevagissey, Tregrehan, Polmassick and St Blazey.

‘To make the properties more resistant to flooding IPP measures including door guards, airbrick covers, non return valves and pumps are about to be installed. Where necessary further work to re-point and/or render stonework will also be carried out. The properties have been assessed and works have then been recommended by an independent suryeyor,’ said Cornwall Council’s Principal Environment Projects and Technical Officer Martin Clemo. 
In Mevagissey and St Blazey, the Environment Agency are piloting a service to provide location specific early warnings of flash flooding, share weather and flood forecast information with flood wardens, and provide automatic messages from rain and river gauges.

Following the flooding, the Environment Agency and Cornwall Council teams cleared streams, culverts and screens of flood debris, and carried out post flood surveys and repairs.

They also carried out post flood reviews of all the main affected locations and produced recommendations for improvements. As a result, programme of improvements was agreed, a number have already been delivered, including:

• Improvement on the Prideaux Stream in St Blazey
• Pump station improvements at Tredenham Close in Par.
• Repairs to the White River near Pentewan (by South West Water)
• In Lostwithiel, replacing 150metres of the Tanhouse Stream culvert which was badly damaged during the flooding.
• Installing debris catching fences on the Pentewan Stream upstream of the village. 
• Upgrading the trash screen at the culvert entrance in Pentewan to reduce the chance of blockage.

The Environment Agency and Cornwall Council hope to carry out further improvements across the area, including:

• Improvements on the Tanhouse Stream in Lostwithiel, including improved drainage through the River Fowey flood wall in Quay Street.
• Repairs to the privately owned sections of culvert at Station Road, St Blazey. 
• Installation of a new flood warning river gauge on the Mevagissey Stream and repairs to the culvert trash screen upstream of the playing fields.
• Working with South West Water to see whether the sewer can be removed from the Mevagissey Stream, to increase capacity.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for the environment Julian German says: “One year on a huge amount of work has been done not least by the affected communities themselves. I am pleased that partners have come together so effectively and have been able to use the resources available to good advantage.”

All media enquiries should be directed to either the Environment Agency press office on 01392 442008 or Cornwall Council Press Office on 01872 32 2186.

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