PRESS RELEASE:
Durham County Councillor Mark Wilkes has secured commitment from the Council that they will address the major flooding which occurred in Witton Gilbert during the summer.
The council is applying to the Environment Agency for funding for major works which could cost upto £500,000. The Lib Dem councillor commented “The flooding in Witton Gilbert has been some of the worst seen anywhere in the County, which is why along with places such as Lanchester and Chester-le-Street, the Council has agreed to my requests that this be one of their highest priorities.”
Work in the village to improve culverts, drains and ditches is to start in the coming weeks including near the White Tun public house which was devastated by the flooding in the summer.
Plans to design a village wide flood alleviation program are set to take a number of months to be drawn up due the scale of the problem. The Councillor is calling on the Environment Agency to treat this as seriously as any other flooding incidents adding “It is clear to me that we were very lucky that no-one was seriously injured in the summer flooding and that the funding required for this scheme must be found as a matter of urgency. I am reassured that the County Council is listening to concerns and will continue to push to ensure that action is taken as soon as is practicable.
Further updates will be given at the February meeting of Witton Gilbert Parish Council.
Meanwhile work is also being carried out in Brasside on Beech Close this week following Cllr Wilkes’ intervention.
Cllr Wilkes commented “I have been successful in getting the necessary parties to agree to exploratory works and am hopeful that a long term solution will now be found to ensure that residents can sleep at night without the constant worry that the next downpour will leave them flooded out again.
“I do feel very strongly that attempts in the past to deal with this have been woeful.”
Durham County Council like other areas of the North East have faced increasing pressures from flooding incidents and Cllr Wilkes believes that the Neighbourhood Services department budget must be protected as much as possible from further cutbacks. The department provides many of the frontline services recognised by residents on a daily basis including highways maintenance, grass cutting and litter picking.