No problem Sadie. After more than 25 years in the public sector you start to develop a thick skin and not take things personally ;-)
Having said that I've noticed the politicians have got in on the act and starting to play the blame game recently. What they should be doing is standing up and taking responsibility for their decisions and thanking those working so hard for their efforts with fewer and fewer resources. It's all very well David Cameron saying he'll get onto the council when he gets a bit of stick in the street, when he's quite happy to get back to Whitehall and drive through more more double digit percentage cuts to the council's budget.
Anyway, sorry, enough politics this is a thread for pictures of posters sheds floating off down the road....
Keep safe everyone btw, it's not over yet I'm hearing.
I lived in Yalding for six years (house never at risk from flooding) and we have some close friends there.
Biggest heartbreaking tale is the owner of the Yalding Cafe and bungalow in front of the trailer park. They were flooded out six years ago and it took 18 months to get everything back to normal. After another near miss four years ago, they decided to sell up.
Nobody wants the house or business because of the flood risk and they decided the only way to move on was to sell at auction and cut their losses. The auction was due this week.
They've lost virtually everything - again- and I feel so sorry for them. What a way to start a new year!
The flood waters were so high over christmas that the loft conversion was under water - the photo below is this week and the bungalow is at the bottom of the picture and cafe to it's right.
Went through Yalding yesterday on the way to Claygate. The park area on the opposite side from the pub (The Anchor ?) on the other side of the bridge was more like a duck pond. Most houses on the way from Yalding to Claygate had hose pipes coming out from them pumping out water. Feel so sorry for all those people in what is normally a lovely part of the country.
No dig at the workers at all BA, but people who have been flooded out of their homes and lives are justly angry. The creek has a large flap cover for a ground water drain that shuts to prevent tidal water from flowing up into the drains. It was jammed open hence the severe flooding. Maintenance has not been carried out for over two years. It is a reflection of the low priority given to ordinary people by the mess of Etonites that purport to govern in our interests. Sorry if I caused you any offence.
Bob Dunn Way, Dartford: heading eastbound is still closed to a flood there. Still predicting heavy rain during the early hours this evening.
I drive along that road everyday and each time on the radio it says it is shut and it is actually open (though possibly unoffically!). Yesterday it wasn't mentioned on the radio and lo and behold it is shut. And there is no warning given further back on the approach road, which would help people re-plan their route.
Bob Dunn Way, Dartford: heading eastbound is still closed to a flood there. Still predicting heavy rain during the early hours this evening.
I drive along that road everyday and each time on the radio it says it is shut and it is actually open (though possibly unoffically!). Yesterday it wasn't mentioned on the radio and lo and behold it is shut. And there is no warning given further back on the approach road, which would help people re-plan their route.
I have been driving fairly regularly down that stretch of road for the last 3 years and it always floods following heavy rain fall. Council have made no attempt to rectify this during those 3 years! Pathetic!
Bob Dunn Way, Dartford: heading eastbound is still closed to a flood there. Still predicting heavy rain during the early hours this evening.
I drive along that road everyday and each time on the radio it says it is shut and it is actually open (though possibly unoffically!). Yesterday it wasn't mentioned on the radio and lo and behold it is shut. And there is no warning given further back on the approach road, which would help people re-plan their route.
I have been driving fairly regularly down that stretch of road for the last 3 years and it always floods following heavy rain fall. Council have made no attempt to rectify this during those 3 years! Pathetic!
Oh yeah, I've seen it (University Way I'm sure it used to be called) flood quite a few times, but always passable, although being built on a marsh probably doesn't help the council providing a quick fix.
No dig at the workers at all BA, but people who have been flooded out of their homes and lives are justly angry. The creek has a large flap cover for a ground water drain that shuts to prevent tidal water from flowing up into the drains. It was jammed open hence the severe flooding. Maintenance has not been carried out for over two years. It is a reflection of the low priority given to ordinary people by the mess of Etonites that purport to govern in our interests. Sorry if I caused you any offence.
No problem I wasn't offended in any way. Just get a bit annoyed that the terrific response of all the public sector services isn't highlighted as much as it could be at times like this. I do seriously worry what is going to happen in the very near future though if we don't pause to think about the effects of the government's austerity drive. It's going to be a massive case of not realising what you have until it's gone.
The response to these floods are really just a very clear and visual example of our public sector going about it's job, something that the general public doesn't normally see or think about tbh. Imagine what we have now but in 3-5 years time after George Osbourne's extra £25b has been taken out of the system, on top of the existing planned cuts. Many local authorities are pretty much on their knees financially already and there's no way they will be able to respond in the same way if things stay as they are.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
With Somerset virtually underwater and worsening, places like yalding in kent have not only had christmas destroyed but virtually their whole lives with more misery to come; that is a pretty heartless statement!! So you don't agree it's the government/LA/environment agencies responsibility but they are going through a tough time and deserve well wishes at the very least.
The largest waves ever recorded in the UK, poor folks on the Cornish Coast . More storms queuing to come in. We're still waiting to get our roof mended from the October storms, but the tarpaulins have held so we are very fortunate.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
With Somerset virtually underwater and worsening, places like yalding in kent have not only had christmas destroyed but virtually their whole lives with more misery to come; that is a pretty heartless statement!! So you don't agree it's the government/LA/environment agencies responsibility but they are going through a tough time and deserve well wishes at the very least.
I lived in Yalding for five years. I knew the risk. We moved out 18 months ago.
I feel sorry for those who have suffered - particularly some very close friends in Yalding, whose house was up for auction in January and has been flooded out again - but they don't go about blaming the Government/Environment Agency/Maidstone Borough Council/Yalding Parish council for their predicament.
I can't beleive people are blaming the Governemnt and the Environment Agency. How is it there fault that it's rained almost constantly for what seems like months? Maybe they could have dredged the rivers more but you can bet your bottom dollar that if they had and we had a mild winter followed by a hot summer the same people would be moaning that they was no water in the rivers, wildlife was dying etc etc. They have bushfires in Oz, people I know have lost property and horses, but they don't blame the Government or Local Authorities. It's a natural hazard in the outback just like flooding is here.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
Would you know you had bought a house on a flood plain say 20 or 30 years ago or less? If properties are approved by the Local Authority or whoever it is for the development of properties on flood plains then surely they have a responsibility to do everything they can to prevent flooding even if that means increasing council tax.
My nan lived in Yalding and i can remember the area flooding over 35 yrs ago, so its not a new thing in the area unfortunately. Also I used to work in the signalbox at Wateringbury, and every year the poor old restaurant beside it floods, god knows how they afforded the insurance for it.
Not everywhere can be protected. That's obvious but the authorities could have done more. Dredging of rivers in high risk areas would seem the very least. Unfortunately I think the government view would be its cheaper to allow a few thousand homes to be ruined than it is to plan and resource adequate defences. My sympathies to all those suffering. Must be devastating.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
Would you know you had bought a house on a flood plain say 20 or 30 years ago or less?
That's why you pay your solicitor to do land searches. All the historic information on flooding is available. Today, you can do it all with a click of your mouse.
Comments
Having said that I've noticed the politicians have got in on the act and starting to play the blame game recently. What they should be doing is standing up and taking responsibility for their decisions and thanking those working so hard for their efforts with fewer and fewer resources. It's all very well David Cameron saying he'll get onto the council when he gets a bit of stick in the street, when he's quite happy to get back to Whitehall and drive through more more double digit percentage cuts to the council's budget.
Anyway, sorry, enough politics this is a thread for pictures of posters sheds floating off down the road....
Keep safe everyone btw, it's not over yet I'm hearing.
We need to remember this.
The response to these floods are really just a very clear and visual example of our public sector going about it's job, something that the general public doesn't normally see or think about tbh. Imagine what we have now but in 3-5 years time after George Osbourne's extra £25b has been taken out of the system, on top of the existing planned cuts. Many local authorities are pretty much on their knees financially already and there's no way they will be able to respond in the same way if things stay as they are.
Stay safe everyone!
Not a smug comment but for once I'm glad I live at the top of a very big hill.
Boo.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
Storms and the angry sea. The damage and destruction.
It's like a war zone.
I feel sorry for those who have suffered - particularly some very close friends in Yalding, whose house was up for auction in January and has been flooded out again - but they don't go about blaming the Government/Environment Agency/Maidstone Borough Council/Yalding Parish council for their predicament.