Hereford Futures flood defences defeated by weed

10:00am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News

Most of the Merton Meadow car park was under water following Monday morning's heavy rain Most of the Merton Meadow car park was under water following Monday morning's heavy rain

HEREFORD Futures has this week defended its Flood Alleviation Scheme, despite nearly a month’s rainfall flooding the city’s Merton Meadow car park.

Around 80 per cent of the car park was swamped by the deluge early on Monday morning that brought chaos to the county.

But Hereford Futures has told the Hereford Times that the flooding was not as a result of the £4 million protection scheme that it has backed, but was caused instead by a vegetation blockage in the watercourse.

For the full story and for other flood stories, see today’s Hereford Times .

Related links

Comments(22)

RogerLFC says...
10:23am Thu 27 Sep 12

So you throw £4M at a project and don't anticipate that it might need some maintenance? Strangely if you ignore a road for long enough potholes develop and if you don't cut the grass on the verges and in the parks often enough it gets to about 3 ft long. How soon before this problem is blamed on our recent wet summer? Who is responsible for the maintenance by the way? And is there a budget for it?

Report this post »

Lukio says...
11:09am Thu 27 Sep 12

A typically political response from HF but we would be naive to expect anything else. It seems that they are taking a 'not our problem' stance on this. Let's throw a flood alleviation scheme and not worry about anything else. It surprises me that there has been no apparent maintenance or clearing of debris from the brook that allowed this to happen.

This raises questions as to whether HF are spending wisely enough considering they are not an elected body and are being handed public money. It will be interesting to see the outcome of tomorrow's HC meeting which will hopefully address these concerns. We'll see...

Report this post »

bobby47 says...
11:25am Thu 27 Sep 12

A vegetation blockage on the watercourse. Is that it?
So presumably some poor soul scrambled down some hole, scurried along the watercourse and presumably, emerged with a few kilos of vegetation, concluding, 'I've got in my hands the very cause of the chaos. Look, vegetation! We'll tell the fools this story. The public will swallow anything'.
Vegetation!!! If some fool did emerge from the bowells of our City, the only reason he or she was grasping a few kilos of vegetation was because the gullies hadn't been properly maintained or the flood defence didn't work.
Vegetation!!! Sweet loving Jesus.

Report this post »

littlewhitebull says...
11:54am Thu 27 Sep 12

The editorial in today's Hereford Times encapsulates the situation with Merton Meadow and the possible future of Hereford. If a £4 million scheme can be defeated by a bit of weed, what chance is there for the ESG, the 'relief road', etc?
Hereford's future is not looking particualrly wonderful at present.

Report this post »

Themightyboosh says...
1:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12

lets re print the new hereford signs
HEREford
WE CAN't get anything right

Report this post »

Clarkester says...
1:37pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Is there any coincedence that you soon won't be able to wee anywhere in Hereford and weed made the car park flood?
It all seems a little to (public) convenient to me!

Report this post »

William Rudd says...
2:46pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Comments by people who know nothing because they don't do their homework and that includes the Hfd Times.
If you go to the website regarding the flood defence scheme you will see that it is a two part scheme..... The Yazor Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) is the first part of a TWO PART strategy to significantly reduce the incidence of flooding in the western and northern parts of Hereford.

As a direct result of the scheme, over 100 existing homes and businesses now have a significantly reduced risk from large flooding events.

The second part of the strategy comprises measures within the city that will improve surface water drainage and any residual flooding impacts.
Obviously the second part has not been done and will not until the housing on the ESG is built.

Report this post »

Clarkester says...
2:51pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Ooh... Mr Rudd... Perhaps "Herefords Future" could have made this point themselves, instead of blaming "vegetation blockage?"
Just a thought.

Report this post »

truehufc says...
3:21pm Thu 27 Sep 12

well mr william rudd i think you need to do your homework !!! check out what hereford futures are saying themselfs ,
thier words not mine "it has worked in newton road " so thats after merton meadow and that failed !!! on thier own website if you take the trouble to look they aretelling us that the FAS works in merton meadow "it does not FACT " if a few weeds cause this problem now what happens when 800 homes are build there .
they openly brag about newton road not flooding just check out how many times it has flooded in the last 25 years just once at the levels of 2005 so once again bullet in the foot !! time to scrap this whole sorry saga and let thier gravy train hit the buffers , cause i don't think between them they could run a bath

Report this post »

truehufc says...
3:21pm Thu 27 Sep 12

well mr william rudd i think you need to do your homework !!! check out what hereford futures are saying themselfs ,
thier words not mine "it has worked in newton road " so thats after merton meadow and that failed !!! on thier own website if you take the trouble to look they aretelling us that the FAS works in merton meadow "it does not FACT " if a few weeds cause this problem now what happens when 800 homes are build there .
they openly brag about newton road not flooding just check out how many times it has flooded in the last 25 years just once at the levels of 2005 so once again bullet in the foot !! time to scrap this whole sorry saga and let thier gravy train hit the buffers , cause i don't think between them they could run a bath

Report this post »

bobby47 says...
6:06pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Firstly, leave off Ruddy. He's wrong but its his view.
Secondly, the Mightyboosh has called it right. WE CANT. We really cant do anything. We've got a bunch of incompetent bungling idiots, suckling at the teet of our Council Tax funds and they are always hungry and thirsty and they are our leaders. Its enough to make you blow your brains out.
It gets worse by the day and the escalation of their badly thought out gimmicks and decisions are accelerating faster than we could ever have dreamed. These are the decisions of the deranged. I've just read about the toilets. My God!
This Council seem obsessed with allowing water into the City and refusing to release it.
What on earth are we to tell people who want to visit our City? Something like, we aint got any good roads, we get flooded now and again, there are an excellent selection of Charity shops, the locals now dress in flared trousers that they purchased from said Charity shops and be sure to wear a nappy.
My warmest regards to all. We are doomed.

Report this post »

littlewhitebull says...
6:40pm Thu 27 Sep 12

William Rudd is correct to state that the Yazor Brook Flood Alleviation is in two parts. The information has been in the public domain for a long time.
But, Hereford Futures compound problems by showing 3 photos on its website, with the following statement accompanying the photo of the brook running through Merton Meadow after heavy rain: "Yazor brook at Merton Meadow - no flooding!"
Hereford Futures could have said that the flooding might be further alleviated when the second phase of the project is completed, but instead have blamed the problem on vegetation blockage.

Report this post »

Lukio says...
7:29pm Thu 27 Sep 12

What we have to remember is that Mr Rudd (or Councillor Rudd as I affectionately refer to him) lives in a little spinning bubble much the same as HC and whichever made up organisation they decide to jump into bed with.

He will vehemently jump to the defence of HC if anyone dares utter a word against them and is a great supporter of their harebrained schemes. Cllr. Rudd won't listen to reason and will rudely refute anyone who tries to disagree. I like to think most us on here can have a debate, take others views in the context that they were meant and raise some valid points of conversation.

This coupled with his 'lay down and die for the council' attitude has made me suspicious and paranoid that he's either a massive wind-up merchant or he's actually on the council in some capacity either as a councillor or associated with one of their made up organisations. I base this theory solely on the fact anyone with an ounce of sense can't possibly say that this council is spending public money wisely and are doing the right thing.

Come on Cllr. Rudd, just admit it. HC and HF have f***ed up on this one and are too stupid and pig-headed to admit it. They've dropped the ball and instead of coming clean they've made up an outrageously poor excuse. Open your eyes, sir.

Report this post »

bobby47 says...
8:42pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Come on William. You've had a tongue lashing off Lukio. I've had one off him as well. Admit it. Vegetation wasn't the best excuse to offer the media.
Come on you can do this. Just say, 'Yeah fair enough'.

Report this post »

fmrbill says...
9:49pm Thu 27 Sep 12

bobby 47 unfortunatly I blame you for this flooding in merton meadow. !!!!! HOW i hear you ask, well was it not you bought all the shovels from the Rockfield sales to go digging for Studmarsh, thus rendering a shortage in Hereford, and no where for AMEY to purchase any to clean the ditches, drains ???? Or am I looking in the wrong area, as we have to blame some one and i think that the ditches etc are way above the heads of the personal in these orgainsations as it seems no common sense survives

Best Wishes Bobby47, where will you create the next shortage my friend suckling pigs )))

Report this post »

bobby47 says...
10:31pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Hello my old friend fmrbill. This flood, that we down in the City are suffering has reached biblical preportions. I've had another peep at Revelations and it definitely says, ' And Lo, it will come to pass, there will be a mighty flood to punish those who covett thy neighbours ****'.
I've no idea why a man or a woman, both sexes are capable of covetting, would sneakily glance next door and want to own anothers mule or donkey.
Are you on high ground and if so theres a few of us here ready to leave our City.

Report this post »

RogerLFC says...
7:45pm Fri 28 Sep 12

Stick a few weevils in the brook ... http://www.worcester
news.co.uk/news/9954
327.Weevils_get_to_w
ork/

Report this post »

William Rudd says...
1:07pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Lol at you lot.
Oh well work starts on the ESG on Monday.When all is built inc housing and it gets flooded out I guarantee I'll be the first to have a go at The developers.

Report this post »

William Rudd says...
1:21pm Sat 29 Sep 12

The last time we had a months rain in a day Newtown Rd and Edgar St were flooded for four days were they not.
All that happened this time was a small puddle on the car park.
Apart from the FAS being a two part scheme it was never implied that it was to completely stop the flooding.The words are and I quote significantly reduce.

Drama queens lol

Report this post »

Ubique5740 says...
2:30pm Sat 29 Sep 12

I have heard from an unreliable source that drug dealers have been seen in the area looking for more weed.

Report this post »

Lukio says...
9:28pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Ha ha ha William Rudd, you sir are a star! Will you join our band of renegades or will this jeopardise your position on the council?

Report this post »

littlewhitebull says...
9:31pm Sat 29 Sep 12

When talking to a Dawnus employee (the contractors involved in the Yazor Brook Flood Scheme) he suggested that the first part of the scheme was pretty successful, and added that the second part would have to be finely engineered due to the immense building that would take place as part of the regeneration scheme. Even when completed there would be no guarantee that flooding would not occur in the future. As he pointed out – the scheme is an “Alleviation Scheme” – not a total prevention scheme –there can never be any guarantee given in such projects. This Dawnus chap stressed that any drainage problems – such as blocked surface drainage channels, blocked ditches, or damming of the stream through neglect would cause future problems. I am no engineer, but it seems a reasonable application of common sense. Surely, the most successful outcome will be that no homes will be flooded in the future with all the resultant misery that results from such events.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree