CHESTERFIELD: Residents feel abandoned by flood plans

The Government has revealed that the scheme to protect 78 flood risk homes in Brampton is to be rolled out this year as part of 93 flood defences nationwide.

But residents on Tapton Terrace, near the town centre, feel they have been abandoned as they claim repeated flooding problems along the River Rother have been overlooked.

David Cory, of Tapton Terrace, said: “Tapton Terrace is a forgotten corner of Chesterfield. The flooding on the River Rother from Clayton Street down to Tapton Terrace seems to have been overlooked.

“The flood water from Horns Bridge along with effluent from overflowing drains gets pumped into the Rother, and Tapton Bridge acts like a dam and the river water backs up to Clayton Street.”

Tapton Terrace was badly affected by flooding during the deluge of 2007 with up to 5ft of water in homes and residents now receive Environment Agency flood phone warnings during heavy rainfall.

Some have moved their most prized possessions upstairs as a permanent precaution after they had to be rescued by firefighters in 2007 and residents were on standby in November, last year, when the Rover Rother threatened to burst its banks.

Residents have appealed to the Environment Agency and Derbyshire County Council for support to help get the river dredged, raise a bridge to stop it blocking waterflow and to put in defences to stop it bursting its banks.

Lisa Thompson, of Tapton Terrace, also feels the Government, the local authorities and the Environment Agency need to do more for this vulnerable part of Chesterfield.

The council has been putting together a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy identifying where the main problems occur and what can be done about them.

Cllr Anne Western said the council needs to look at the overall situation including the impact of climate change, problem areas and whether any responsibility can be shared with landowners.

A council spokesman said: “We work hard with other agencies to try to reduce the effects of flooding, prevent it happening where possible and help to clear up when it does. We welcome this extra money for Brampton and will continue to work hard to try to reduce the risk faced by residents and businesses.

“We recently asked for people’s views on flooding and are currently drawing up a draft plan which will look at new ways of dealing with it across the county.

“We are aware of the problems that have affected Tapton Terrace in previous years. It is the River Rother, a main river, that affects Tapton Terrace and flooding from main rivers is the responsibility of the Environment Agency who are doing work to help alleviate the situation.

“The Environment Agency is currently constructing a large flood defence scheme at Wingerworth at the old Avenue Coking Plant and this will benefit residents of Tapton Terrace by holding flood water upstream of Chesterfield, in a specially constructed flood water storage reservoir. This will take around a further two years to complete.”

Pensioner Mr Cory also revealed that his latest home insurance quote had gone up from £46 a month to £113 a month due to the vulnerability of his home.