WHILE Tenbury remains with sandbags and wellies at the ready, Malvern Hills District Council and Harriet Baldwin MP are celebrating the success in getting flood defence schemes for other communities.

Malvern Hills District Council has marked the tenth anniversary of the floods that devastated the district with what it claims is a renewed commitment to continue to do everything possible to reduce the impact of flooding on communities.

The district was subject to extensive flash and river flooding when about a month’s worth of rainfall fell in just a few hours on Friday, July 20, 2007.

Upton-upon-Severn and Tenbury Wells were particularly affected areas with the Environment Agency recording the highest level on the River Teme at Tenbury since 1924 – 15 times normal summer levels.

Some 800 properties across the district were damaged by the flooding and businesses were left with the significant task of rebuilding their livelihoods. The council’s response was both immediate and long-term.

Restart grants totalling £35,000 were given by the council to 75 businesses to help get them back up and running while financial support in the form of council tax exemptions was offered to residents unable to return to their properties.

Some £32,000 alone was spent supporting 55 families who were still unable to return to their homes over a year after the floods had hit.

Over the last decade the council’s land drainage officers have inspected hundreds of kilometres of watercourses and ditches with 42km inspected in the last 12 months alone.

The council has also worked with the Environment Agency to develop flood defence schemes and lobby for funding from the Government. This has resulted in a £4.6million scheme to install permanent flood barriers in Upton, which opened in 2012.

About £2.2million was also invested in a flood defence scheme in the village of Kempsey which opened in 2012. Permanent flood defence schemes have also been installed at Powick, costing £800,000 and Uckinghall costing £1.1million.

But all the council can say is that it continues to work with the Environment Agency and Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, to try to secure funding for flood defences in Tenbury.

The council also continues to work with the Environment Agency, Tenbury Town Council and West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin to find funding for a flood defence scheme for the River Teme.

Although it is claimed that significant effort has also been made to encourage residents to install their own flood defences to reduce the impact of flooding on their property. Grants totalling more than £227,000 have been provided to 150 homes and businesses in Tenbury and Upton as part of the Government-backed Repair and Renew scheme.

“I spent a lot of time with local people in 2007 who had been affected by flooding and the sudden summer rain was devastating for so many people,” said Harriett Baldwin.

But she recognized that problems remain.

“I will continue to press for permanent schemes in areas like Tenbury and Severn Stoke and support efforts to encourage people to use individual property protection measures where necessary to reduce the impact of major flooding,” the MP added.