Flooding summit planned as petition handed to council over area of Leighton Buzzard flooded 4 times

A planned summit around flooding in Central Bedfordshire will aim to establish the causes, clear blockages and source funding for potential solutions, a meeting heard.

Several areas of the county were affected during the winter months, with homes and businesses under water after torrential rainfall.

Central Bedfordshire Council is set to stage an event involving the key stakeholders responsible for tackling flood-related problems.

One of the worst affected areas was Lovent Drive in Leighton Buzzard, which was flooded four times in recent months arising from the local drainage system.

A petition was submitted to the local authority’s executive by Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade South councillor Shaun Roberts on behalf of his ward colleague Emma Holland-Lindsay.

“Lovent Drive and the surrounding area is close to Clipstone Brook which is normally 12 inches deep most of the year,” he explained.

“We’ve had flooding in the past. But basically once in about 25 to 30 years, a resident told me. Earlier this year and towards the end of last year, that area has been flooded four times in a short period.

“More worryingly, in the past this stream would slowly rise up. What we saw was it go from less than 20 inches in depth to more than eight feet in hours, so this is happening very fast. Residents are understandably really concerned about this.

“I visited the area on one of those occasions and the water was literally feet away from people’s houses. The appeal here is can we do something about this before it turns into a major incident?

“Almost all the agencies we’ve spoken to about this have been really positive. need to follow up. But we want to ensure actions are carried through and the council makes sure residents get the action required and the security they need that this will be tackled.”

CBC deputy leader and Independent Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker replied: “You’re alluding to the fact there are several agencies involved in this.

“There’s the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, the Internal Drainage Board and ourselves. Everyone is very much engaged around this issue.

“As a council, we have some work to do around gullies, but our role is very much to coordinate all those different agencies and keep that impetus going.

“Officers are fully behind that and are keeping everyone focused on a daily basis. The rainfall during the winter has been at unprecedented levels. When it rains, there’s nowhere for the groundwater to go.

“We’re committed to working with those different agencies to bring a solution for all the residents involved.”

Council leader and Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny said: “I’m still eager to arrange a summit with the Environment Agency, the water utility companies, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Bedfordshire Police.

“We’re close to organising that. It will happen in the months to come. We’ll look to understand what’s causing each of the big flashpoints around the county, where the blockage is, and who we need to approach for what inevitably will be funding to resolve these.”