Welcome to Longford!

What a welcome awaited Lewis Gordon has he moved into his new home in Longford from South Gloucestershire. Lewis moved to the Longford Lock Barns off Tewkesbury road on the 2nd January, just as the post-Christmas deluge and storms were about to take hold. Though he had been warned of potential flooding in the area, he quickly realised after parking his car, on that first day that there could be a major problem!

His new and concerned neighbours advised him that he should park his car on the higher ground on the opposite side of the Tewkesbury road if he did not want his car to become submerged! Lewis promptly responded, as the courtyard began to fill up rapidly under the torrential rain which the Courtyard’s single grid could not cope with. He was informed that during the famous floods of 2007 the lower two rooms of his accommodation, the “Chauffer’s Cottage”, had been entirely flooded too. Lewis did not hesitate and moved all his furniture and belongings to the upper floors as a matter of urgency, before deciding to stay with friends for a couple of nights. Fortunately for Lewis, remedial work on the flooring had been completed since 2007, which prevented any water entering the property on this occasion. Nearly a week later as the water started to subside, he was able to start a “normal” existence in his new Longford home. Lewis is very philosophical about the whole episode which he has tagged as an enlightening experience. The photo shows Longford Lock Barns about a week after the deluge still with a water depth of over two feet.

For the residents at the top of the Courtyard there was an eerie feeling of deja vu, as they had not forgotten their experience of the 2007 floods. Brenda Halls from the “Wagon House” remembers vividly how her home, although built at a higher level than the Courtyard, had all the downstairs rooms flooded at a cost of thousands and a great deal of disruption! Whilst her insurance company made full compensation, inevitably the insurance premiums have since become astronomical. On this occasion, although the water did not actually rise above the courtyard wall (approx. 6ft in height), Brenda and her husband could not wade through it to get to their car. The alternative route to the road was a trek through a field at the back of a neighbour’s house!

For the residents of Longford Lock Barns this was considered a “near miss”- the risk of flooding is a constant threat for them, and unfortunately, it is one which they all have to live with.

Flood Defence Success

On a brighter note it was good to see that the flood prevention work completed around Cypress Gardens and Evergreen Walk has had a profound effect. The stream flowing adjacent to Cypress Gardens now has a monitoring mechanism installed which controls the amount of water running through the stream. It is linked to the main reservoir and once a certain water level is reached in the stream, the water entering from the reservoir is significantly reduced to prevent the stream water rising above the banks. It has proved to be a really successful project, for which the Environmental Agency should be highly commended!

There was not a single sand bag in sight on my visit to the area and Patricia Carter a resident of Cypress Gardens, who lives adjacent to Evergreen Walk was delighted with the results. Patricia added that memory of 2007 was now despatched to “history”, for not only have there been tremendous flood defence developments, but the whole quality of life for the local residents had been improved greatly too.

It was also noticeable that a section of fencing, which is about six feet in height, has been erected and strategically placed, adjacent to Evergreen Walk. It appears to provide additional support to the electronically controlled system and forms an integral part of the overall flood defences. Presumably, the barrier would also prevent any egress of water from the stream escaping into the surrounding residences.

When we assess the amount of flooding that has taken place recently in the South West of England, it is worth remembering that we should always be prepared for the unexpected, as both the weather and the seasons become increasingly less predictable.