Meeting EA + Northumbria Water in Haydon Bridge as flood repair work has started

I was on site this last week to meet the team who are going to repair and improve the bank between the Anchor Hotel and the bridge, going along the bank to protect Rocksprings Crescent. The workmen contracted to do the job by the Environment Agency are staying in the Railway Hotel and have their diggers and machinery on site on the north side of the river for the work which will take some time. The plan is to extract the boulders and gravel from the centre of the river, put that gravel into gabions (these are steel cages of boulders and gravel), then encase the gabions in a steel protected wall where the old bank used to be. This will then be topped off with a stone and cement finish. The steel wall will go down into the river bed over 2 metres to ensure there is no wash away. This effect will reinstate the old bank, which had been eroding for years, change the nature and direction of the river flow, provide protection to the bridge and Rocksprings Crescent, and ensure the disaster of last winter does not reoccur. The centre of the river will look very different as well.
Why this is important and vitally urgent work is the potential compromising of the bridge, the properties on the south bank, and the sewer pipes that are beneath the surface in pipes on the river bank. Of all the works to be done on the river this is probably the key one.
In addition, Northumbria Water have cleared all the pipes, and sewers locally and are sorting some of the problems they have discovered.
In other parts of the village works are being done to protect the defences on the North Bank and there will be improvements to the path between Rocksprings and the sports fields and the walls around there. I have chased the County council about the state of the Langley Burn which remains very overgrown and blocked. On two occasions last week on Saturdays and Thursday I met with locals affected by the floods and went door to door addressing the issues but my door is always open / email is on, if anyone has any further questions. I am also shortly replying to the recent parish council letter I have received, although events have slightly taken over as the contractors are taking the boulders and gravel off the central river bed. Put simply we are getting there and my belief is that with a fair wind we shall see completed works sorted before the winter.

Flood meetings organised for Corbridge and Haydon Bridge this weekend

The Environment Agency and Northumbria Water have both now agreed to attend the further flood meetings we have organised for this coming weekend.

Corbridge: Friday 29th at 7.30 in the Village Hall

Haydon Bridge: Saturday 30th at 10am in the Community Centre

Over the last few weeks I have met extensively with the Environment Agency to try and get answers, and an explanation of the options for the way ahead in relation to the various flood events that befell everywhere from Ovingham to Corbridge to Tyne Green in Hexham, Haydon Bridge, Warden and all places in between, as well as making multiple site visits to meet a variety of constituent householders, businesses, farmers, and sports clubs.

I accept that I have not been able to meet everyone, but Karen in my office is doing a great job trying to get everyone the answers and explanations they seek. We are holding a number of other meetings with local flood action groups and residents over the coming weeks notably a 6 way meeting with network rail, residents, NCC, Environment Agency, and my team and councillors, to try and sort the flooding on Hexham's Tyne Green, where negotiations are ongoing as to how we sort the underpass under the railway into a flood defence that still allows access.

More detail on flood assistance can be found in my earlier blog post here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/update-help-for-those-affected-by.html

Flood Defence Plan Update

Recently attended the multiple local agencies briefing on the revised flood plan for Northumberland
All details are available on the NCC website.

If you are worried about your area I urge you to get involved and see the hard work the team are doing on our behalf to minimise the effects of local flooding

The consultation period runs until early November and the team are doing a great job; however, they accept they are not perfect and have asked for local input to make the flood plan and defences better; as we all know this affects all of us - not just the obvious target areas for flooding. There is much to consider - particularly for locals in Ponteland, Hexham and Corbridge...so get involved and make a contribution.