RECEIVED THIS EARLIER:

Flooding round up in County Durham

Issued on behalf of Durham County Council, Police and Fire and Rescue Services

The council and emergency services are continuing to respond to an increasing number of reports of and requests for help as a result of, localised flooding across the county.

The current flooding situation in County Durham is:

• Council and emergency services are working together to monitor flooding and to respond to requests for assistance
• Council’s Highways Action Line is receiving high volumes of calls
• The majority of calls are from residents in the Bishop Auckland area; however there are calls coming in from Winston (Teesdale) and Shotton Colliery (East Durham)
  • The CCU has arranged for sandbags to be delivered to Locomotion (museum Shildon) due to imminent flooding risk

The council’s neighbourhood services department:

• Has several crews out in Sedgefield, the former Wear Valley and Teesdale areas delivering sand bags as a result of requests from residents and businesses
• There are several roads flooded in the Wear Valley and Teesdale area and some houses in both areas are also now flooded
• Some rivers have burst their banks

Road closures include:

• Road through Ramshaw village – closed
• B688 West Auckland Bypass between Sainsbury  and Lloyds  – closed
• A6072 West Auckland to Shildon – passable with extreme care – may need to be closed
• Wades Road Littletown – closed
• Underpass Renny’s Lane – closed
• A6072 Tindale to Shildon – flooded
• A67 County Bridge at Barnard Castle – flooded
• Unclassified road between Piittington and Littletown – flooded
• Many minor roads affected by flooding

Continues… i

• In Durham the A690’s westbound slip-road to the Belmont Industrial Estate, is flooded and closed to traffic.
• The A68, in particular, is affected by localised flooding in the West Auckland and Wolsingham areas and Staindrop is also affected.

Environment Agency Update:

• Flood alert issued for the Gaunless (showing slow drop)
• Hummer Beck and Toad Pool, West Auckland are experiencing problems
• River Tees and Barnard Castle rivers are rising, possibly peaking at 4pm

• CCU continue to monitor situation  Upper River Tees – dropping
• Lower River Tees still rising slightly (downstream effect but not expected to flood)
• Flood alert for wear at Sunderland Bridge still in force but remainder of river is ok

Council resources

Sand bags:

1,000 filled sandbags

3,000 empty

1,800 filled to be delivered tomorrow

20 T sand in stock

20 T sand order delivery today

20 T sand to be delivered tomorrow

10 staff filling bags

Aqua – sacs: –

1, 000 at Meadowfield depot

1,000 at Morrison Busty depot

500 x Wellfield depot

500 Hackworth depot

500 x Chilton depot

Access to further 10,000 Aqua-sacs

To report flooding of your home, please contact Highways Action Line (HAL) on 0191 370 6000. This line is staffed Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm, Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.  If you ring after hours you will be given the option to either leave a message or to be transferred to the out of hours Emergency Team.

Walkergate

At 2.30pm the river was more than 600mm below road level.

Highways inspector will monitor.

Housing solutions:

Anyone in need of advice on temporary re-housing due to flooding in their homes can call Housing Solutions out of hours on 01388 722 538.

Terry Collins, corporate director of neighbourhood services at Durham County Council said: “The council is working alongside the emergency services and relevant agencies to respond to requests for help and to issue information to residents as quickly as is possible.

“Teams of staff will be on duty around the clock to respond to emergency calls.

Continues…

“If anyone requires urgent assistance due to the floods they can contact us on the Highways Action Line, 0191 370 3000.

“Many of the county’s roads are affected by flooding and excess water on the carriageway. Please take extra care if you are travelling and check the council’s website for updated information.”

Durham Constabulary:

As heavy rain continues to fall motorists are being urged to drive with caution as roads across County Durham and Darlington are widely affected by surface water.

Chief Inspector Stu Exley, head of Durham Constabulary’s communications branch, said: “Surface water creates hazardous conditions for motorists and they should take this into account and drive accordingly.

“They should slow down and allow sufficient breaking distance between their vehicle and the one in front. Drivers may find themselves unexpectedly hitting areas where flooding has occurred and should drive with caution.”

Advice from Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue service:

Protecting your home against flooding:

• make sure you know how to turn off your gas, water or electricity – if you are not sure, ask your supplier for advice
• keep a kit of essential items like copies of your insurance documents, a battery powered torch and radio and a first aid kit handy

In the event of a flood:

• remember, your (and your family’s) safety is most important, so move them and your pets upstairs, with a means of escape
• turn off your electricity and gas supply – if it is safe to do so – but do not touch sources of electricity when standing in flood water
• move valuable items upstairs or to a high point in your property
• if you do not have non-return valves fitted, you should plug water inlet pipes with towels or cloths
• disconnect any equipment that uses water, like, washing machines and dishwashers

Ends

Press release from Council: – let me know if you get such a call.

Fraudsters claiming to be able to cut household energy bills are targeting homes in County Durham.

Durham County Council’s Fair Trading Team is warning people about a telephone scam by a business offering to supply a device which can save 40 per cent on energy costs.

A caller, claiming to be using a secure phone line, asks for credit card or bank details so the product can be sent out by post. (more…)

Your local Lib Dems are demanding that the council withdraws a proposal to close Toll House Road as part of plans for a new western relief road.

More than 160 residents attended yesterdays drop in session at Bearpark community Centre, which I have been calling for for many months.

Nearly everyone I spoke to said they were not happy with proposals to close the road and I am pushing to stop this proposal in its tracks.

New recycling bin deliveries are starting today in Framwellgate Moor, Pity Me and Brasside.

Email below sent to councillors with details of where to find more information:

As you will be aware, the way we collect recycling and rubbish from residents is changing.  Between April and June a system where household rubbish is collected one week, and recycling the next is being introduced throughout the county.

I wanted to let you know that from 18 April we will be delivering new recycling bins to residents in your ward.  Distribution crews working for the bin supplier ESE, guided by Durham County Council staff will be working to ensure that every householder receives their new wheeled bin with a blue lid for recycling.

Residents will get a sticker on the bin telling them to use it straight away for storing their recycling, and to put it out on their normal recycling collection day.  The sticker also tells them their collection day under the new arrangements, and the date that starts.  The leaflet through the door reminds them which items to put in their recycling bin and which to put in their box.  It is also a collection calendar showing the pattern of collections over the coming year.  Collections in your area will start in June

‘Roving recyclers’ will shadow the progress of the bin distribution teams.  These troubleshooters will be on hand to answer residents’ queries about the new scheme, solve any initial problems, or escalate household specific issues for resolution by waste managers.

Should your residents have any queries about the changes, or need any further information, please refer them to the introductory leaflet that was delivered inside the council’s Guide to Services publication at the end of January, or towww.durham.gov.uk/bins .  They can also enter their postcode into My Durham, available on every webpage, to find out exactly what their collection arrangements are.  Alternatively they can call customer services on 03000 26 1000.

The Area Action Partnership provided some funding for a local charity DASH to apply to the empty Homes community Grant Programme and the application has now been submitted. I have been assisting the organiser of this in respect of properties in the Framwellgate Moor area, and wish the group well in their application.

With up to 10,000 empty properties in the county depending on which definition you use, this is another project which could help reduce this number. I have evidence from residents contacting me that the changes stopping owners of empty properties from getting half price council tax if they leave a property empty, are having some effect with some owners spurred on to bring properties back into use. I look forward to seeing if this is born out by the councils figures, which unfortunately have not been very good lately. Some of this may be down to the fact that the council hasn’t put any of the money from the government New Homes /Empty Homes bonus into investing in bringing properties back into use and is instead using it to top up its continencies  (money it hasn’t allocated to anything).

Lib Dem Councillors have been calling for investment into this area.

For a third year Witton Gilbert isn’t getting the grass cutting it should. Other areas have now had two cuts, whilst once again the village is ignored by the Labour run council. Their excuse is that the agency staff were not in place on time. Three years on a row this has happened despite all the pressure last year. It is unacceptable and an indication that the new huge council is still not running as one. Over in Derwentside and Chester-le-Street the grass cutting is clearly better. Parts of Durham City resemble a ploughed field at the moment (Pity Me for one), so how Witton will look when they finally get round to it is anyone’s guess.

I have been given a promise by the service director that the grass will be cut on Monday and by staff that where necessary the cuttings removed – will see on Tuesday if this has happened. Oh for the old days when the City Council did the job. It might not have been perfect, but it was a damn site better than this.

The survey we carried out of residents across Newton Hall, Pity Me, Witton Gilbert, Framwelglate Moor and Brasside returned an overwhelming response in relation to building on the greenbelt and a feeling of failure by the Council to consult with residents.

Over 80% of those who responded believe the council hasn’t consulted properly with them. Over 80% are also against the current plans to build 5000 new houses on the greenbelt.

In response, as can be seen on the Northern Echo Website today, Labour Regeneration Cabinet member Neil Foster has tossed aside residents views, saying that this is a “silly season scare story”.

Clearly Labour couldn’t give a damn about residents views around Durham City.  I do not think that responses of over 300 residents should be  disregarded in this flippant manner.

Cllr Foster (who lives in Tudhoe) talks about only 4% of greenbelt being built on. What he fails to recognise is that here in the West of Durham City the Council is earmarking a massively larger percentage of the greenbelt for building on.

72% of residents said they didn’t feel we needed any new housing to the west of the City.

Even if we accept that some new housing should be built in the county –  which I do accept, a strategy of saturation in one part of County Durham, to this extent will overwhelm this side of the City and destroy the quality of life for existing residents. Upto 10,000 additional cars on our roads doesn’t bear thinking about.

I will shortly publish the responses both in favour and against the proposals for housing, Aykley Heads and the relief roads here on this site for everyone to read.

In the meantime, if you feel as strongly as I do that the Labour administration has no intention of listening to Durham residents, please let your concerns be known in the local press by contacting the Durham Times, Northern Echo and other local papers to voice your concerns. This is one way that we can start a meaningful debate on the whole issue.

I have finally managed to get the Council to agree to a consultation event in Bearpark on the County Plan and specifically the Western Bypass.

Council are delivering a leaflet to residents in Bearpark this week:

“You are invited to attend a drop in session to engage in the development of the County Durham Plan. We want your views on how Bearpark will be developed into the future, how many houses you are happy with, your environment, and what you think about the Western Relief Road. ”

DATE OF SESSION: 3PM TO 8PM AT BEARPARK COMMUNITY CENTRE  – RESIDENTS FROM OTHER AREAS WELCOME

Work on Pity Me Front St will start next week. After talking with local residents and following discussions with officers, we have managed to find space to provide an access ramp onto the pavement at the top end of the terraces where at the moment there are two high steps and no access for wheelchairs or prams.   At the same time there will still be space for parking, so a win win situation. This will be incorporated into the proposals next week providing there are no objections or concerns raised about this.

ramp-frontst

The original post on the regeneration works can be seen here: http://markwilkes.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/03/08/regeneration-of-300m-of-pity-me-front-street/

Residents in the Framwellgate Moor Parish Council area are currently receving a consultation letter on whether or not three small areas currently not in the parish should be added to the area.

I can see no reason not to do this. The original boundaries going back many years were based on ancient boundaries including those of a stream and land ownership boundaries. By bringing these three areas into the Parish Council it will also make the Parish more sustainable and would be preferable to these areas forming part of any new Town Council.  One street is currently split across the middle with some houses in the parish and some not.

This proposal would not increase the cost of the Parish Council. It is supported by Lib Dem and independent parish councillors and by both your County Councillors.

Please vote to incorporate new areas into Framwellgate Moor Parish Council.