[Closed] Cameroooons lost the plot, electic outages and flooding

EA has been given lots of funding but its for Capital works (new buildings that looks good for the media) but have had their budget cut for maintenance so the existing flood defences and maintenance of rivers and brooks get severely affected. Come next year 1300 EA staff will be out of work 🙁

Floodplains appear to have appeared overnight listening to some of the radio storys....unfortunantly people only remember their life times. The 100 year flood might not have happened in that time so they see it as a safe place to buy a house.

[i]Come next year 1300 EA staff will be out of work
[/i]

Based on my experience of a number of public sector depts. this will probably mean that more gets done, not less.

Yes b r of course it does 🙄

Come next year 1300 EA staff will be out of work

Based on my experience of a number of public sector depts. this will probably mean that more gets done, not less

depending on which staff get sacked, if its just a desk jockey who just attends work each day , then no problem but if they sack the man who drives the jcb cleaning out the ditches, because they can save more cash by sacking him and selling off his jcb,then major problems later on as the watr cant drain or be stored in those ditches, you then have to hoire the machinery and a man to drive it, who probably has no locl knowledge of local flooding issues.

They have people who clean ditches ?

My neighbours look at me like i have 3 heads when i clean the one i live next too.

Yes we clean brooks and dykes or what ever they are called else where that run into rivers. But if its just some farmers ditch or highways ditch then no we don't.

I love a good conservative bashing, well done Project 🙄

They'll probably privatise the met office next and that'll really **** the weather up.

It wasnt a dig at those employed to do it - it ws more that folk expect someone else to clean it.no idea who owns the ditch but if it backs up we will all get wet feet.

There's going to be a whole lot of people who won't be able to insure their homes next year.

[I]It wasnt a dig at those employed to do it - it ws more that folk expect someone else to clean it.no idea who owns the ditch but if it backs up we will all get wet feet. [/I]

Yep, a bit like I mow the verge between us and my folks (about 100m on a country back-road), and my neighbours have mentioned previously how they reckon it's the councils job.

There's going to be a whole lot of people who won't be able to insure their homes next year.

But then how will they keep within the rules of their mortgage to keep the home insured, and what happens if they want to move, nobody will buy or offer the new owners a mortgage.

[I]Yes b r of course it does[/I]

Purely through experience of working at The Benefits Agency, National Insurance, DEFRA and the NHS on/off over the last 25 years.

Pity Project hasn't got a single clue about anything he's talking about, might have made more sense then.

Perhaps you could explain your problem then.

It's a shame some others don't care for the dykes like you trail_rat than just using them as dumping grounds.

I don't have a problem.

Funnily enough, the in laws neighbour (aged 82) was just telling us that her granny lived in Yalding, and every winter they moved upstairs to avoid the flooding.

I'm no fan of CMD but not everything is his/Maggies fault

I find it hard to blame a politician for when fallen trees bring down electricity lines (most of the problems in Surrey) or when you have higher than expected levels of rainfall on saturated land.

Looking at the hard work that people put in to cut down fallen trees and restore power on Christmas Day and yesterday! I would have though the more appropriate reaction would be to thank those who sacrificed their holidays.

folks retiring to the nice house in the country from london town have to learn that it isnt london town and things can take a little longer to get done and there isnt a hospital on every street corner nor if they want cheap power bills will a maintenance man be waiting at the end of the street if the lights go out.. you have no right to power its a product bought and sold and we pay relatively nowt for warmth comfort and light..

cameroon didnt tell these folks what to cut nor not to answer phones he said do more with less and if we try we can all manage that ( except for govt agencys/employees who seem to believe the jobs were created for thier benifit not thier customers..

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/28/britain-pulling-plug-flood-defences

On top of the cuts Maidstone council has already had to make .... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-23252403

Yea total shell of course my job was only created for only me and no one else 🙄

I had a guy calling me a ****er last week because his garden was underwater, sorry mate I don't have control over the weather, I didn't make you buy a house on a very flashy water course. It is unbelievable sometimes how stupid members of the public are.

We had a lot of sea flooding on a new retail development at new brighton, a few weeks ago, the locals came out in force.cleared all the rubbish ,helped each other, even worked in the morrisons throwing huge amounts of stock out and washing down shelves all for free.

Yet multi national companies cant answer the phones and need to bring staff in form other companies to fix the cables and tidy up.

From experience the EA do a great job, forecasting flooding ,objecting to homes on flood plains, clearing blockages on ditches, usually caused by flytipping scum etc,yet their funds are being cut.

Yep, been their Pigface. Not nice to have when you have been sent their to see if you can help.

Flooding and gales have always happened. We have just developed the mistaken belief that we have a divine right to live wherever we want and have uninterrupted power, despite all Natures attempts to show otherwise.

I worked with a woman who bought a house on a new development on the banks of the Dearne,she was most put out after 6 months when it flooded.The address? She lived in The Watermeadows,doh.

I also think its a tad odd that
1. Cameron/ PM gets blamed for weather as thm notes
2. We expect our PM to turn up as if their presence helps in any practical way whatsoever

There may be some merit to criticism re defences and cuts but the main problem is abnormal weather / once in a century weather and houses built in daft places
neither of these seem easy to lay on the door of Dave

[quote=Junkyard said]I also think its a tad odd that
1. Cameron/ PM gets blamed for weather as thm notes
2. We expect our PM to turn up as if their presence helps in any practical way whatsoever
There may be some merit to criticism re defences and cuts but the main problem is abnormal weather / once in a century weather and houses built in daft places
neither of these seem easy to lay on the door of Dave

Quoting for posterity.

😉

2 estates built locally, both next to existing housing estates, new homes need to built 3 foot higher, so steps or ramps to front doors,so easy to do but more costly for the builders.Also scotish power our power provodor aree cutting down any large trees near their power lines, also same for network rail cutting back tres along the railway lines and the ones who compllain most are the neighbours,who want the trees but dont want thenm to smash posts supporting the power cables.

Yet multi national companies cant answer the phones and need to bring staff in form other companies to fix the cables and tidy up.

You have to be reasonable - all of these companies will be staffing for [i]normal[/i] levels of activity, otherwise your bill would be significantly higher.

The thing that amuses me is the anger directed at the power companies for not knowing exactly when things will be fixed - "yes, I know exactly how long the problem I haven't investigated yet, requiring equipment I won't have immediate access to, is going to take" said no engineer ever.

Loving the council-bashing early on in the [url= http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/27/david-cameron-confronted-residents-flooded-village ]report[/url]: -

He asked what she needed now and urged her to "get on to the council", but she replied that "they all decided to go on holiday".

Indeed, everyone at the council got bored sitting around our crystal ball waiting to save your grandmother's walnut-veneer cabinet.

"the council said if you need sandbags, get your own"

*gasp* council in [i]'just because you pay council tax doesn't make us your personal skivvy'[/i] shocker.

Saying that, we had a minor flood last year and it was horrid, so she and everyone else has my sympathies. BTW I cleared out the roadside ditches properly (bloomin' council) and bought / filled sand bags myself if it happens again.

And yes when it rains I personally blame Camoron (do you see what I did there?).

[edit] fixed link

Perhaps they should tell their customers that.

The same customers who are getting charged higher charges for electric, and recieving a poorer service.

Its not difficult to have a continuous loop running on afreephone number to tell customers what theyre doing.

Sorry, but I disagree with the sentiment in the op's post.

Flood defenses are funded on a cost and risk basis. To provide adequate defenses for a one in a 100 year storm event is far more expensive than a lesser storm. Land take is also greater and nimbys complain about the aesthetics of them.

The balance is the cost to rectify over the cost to protect. Yes, government have the final say, but it is the EA/ civil engineers and cost experts that advise them.

Personally, I bought a house on a hill.

David Cameron killed my kitten.*

*In a puddle**

**that he caused

HE IS POSEIDON!

GIF required for the above 😉

love this government bashing crap

it was just the same under the last government, but keep it up its all quite amusing trying to blame someone

These one in a hundred years storms seem to occur every couple of years these days.

thejesmonddingo - Member
These one in a hundred years storms seem to occur every couple of years these days

Yes, this is true and why the correct term for global warming is in fact climate change.

Analysis from ten years ago is completely out dated and as such areas which were deemed not at risk now are. Subsequently, the monies spent to protect should, and will increase. The problem is that there is a time lag between a flood event and the protection being passed by funding, planning and being built.

But then how will they keep within the rules of their mortgage to keep the home insured, and what happens if they want to move, nobody will buy or offer the new owners a mortgage.

do people on this thread realise that not everyone owns their house?

But the landlord may well have had to borrow money to buy his property to rent out,and the loan company want to ensure incase of flood fire etc the property /loan will bne safe.

eg guaranteed.

Yeah sorry what I quoted was just to highlight that the discussion just seemed to focus on home owners. Many do not have much choice where they live and those are least likely to have their possessions insured.

It is definitely wetter under the Tories! They may be crap at economics, and fond of lying to take us into pointless wars, but the weather was miles better under a labour government!

I blame Ian Duncan Smith! He's a right ****! So it's definitely his fault!

Lol at binners.

Thats the sad thing, large numbers who are insured will claim for food wastage due to power cuts,also for damage to their homes which will push insurance up for a lot of us, which in turn will stop even more people being insured,and with a lot of homes being uninsurable.

Just imagine being in a low paid job,renting a house, and all your possesions are destroyed by 4 foot of dirty water,no power no running water,and nowhere to go, then cameroon turns up with a camera crew and loads of pr people.

This thread should simply have ended with Junky's post. Jamie gave it new life, however.

thejesmonddingo - Member

I worked with a woman who bought a house on a new development on the banks of the Dearne,she was most put out after 6 months when it flooded.The address? She lived in The Watermeadows,doh.

Because they thought the people who built their house wouldn't have dropped it in the middle of a flood zone? That's not such an unreasonable thing to expect tbh.

The flooding as reported on The BBC in Yalding, oh it floods !!!

Well it has flooded most years as it is where 2 rivers meet and has huge food plains the, heart of the village has flooded most years in living memory and will always do so. The people who have lived there more than 5 mins know all about it, its just the poor buggers who have moved in and havent done their home work who get caught out.

The old bakery used to get flooded every year that is why there was no plaster on the walls and flagstone floors when the warning came all the equipment got moved upstairs and baking carried on and the cute little rowing boat out the back rowed bread out and flour in.

It's the same in the west country on Points west they interviewed an old biddy about the flooding (her house was flooded 4' deep) her answer was well what do you expect when you are next to a major river,btw her house was 300+ years old.

The people who have been screwed are those who have purchased a modern house that's has flooded, the local council have refused planing permission as it floods but on appeal it has been over turned by the government. The developers walk away with their pockets full of cash leaving the poor owners shafted.

Northwind - Member
thejesmonddingo - Member
I worked with a woman who bought a house on a new development on the banks of the Dearne,she was most put out after 6 months when it flooded.The address? She lived in The Watermeadows,doh.
Because they thought the people who built their house wouldn't have dropped it in the middle of a flood zone? That's not such an unreasonable thing to expect tbh

In the first instance, I do have empathy for the lady, however, to mirror a quote from the recent stamp duty thread, if I were spending that amount of money, then I'd be looking into this myself. That said, it is the responsibility of the builder to inform the buyer of the risk. In this instance, ignorance or a poor solicitor is possibly to blame.

I accept I don't have all the facts.

Mikeypies -thanks for confirming what I was told about Yalding

kevj,it was a refused planning application overturned on appeal,I used to fish that stretch,and had seen it deep enough to flood her livingroom years before the houses were built.If I'd known where she was buying I'd have counselled against it.

Flood defenses are funded on a cost and risk basis.

or the closeness to Hilary Benn's second home 😉

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3325629/Hilary-Benn-in-new-row-over-flood-defences.html

Personally, I bought a house on a hill.

This.

I live in a Kent village very close to sea level. Apparently parts of it regularly flood. We had some flooding at the green the other day, but that was a combination of the weather and the debris in the drainage.

I checked with the EA website and with 2 separate insurance companies that the part of the village I was buying in wasn't a flood risk before I went ahead.

We also have the original drainage ditches at my end of the village, it bit that flooded doesn't anymore.