Ripon City Council is calling for urgent action and a detailed investigation led by the Environment Agency after Storm Franklin brought unprecedented flooding to Hillshaw Park Way last month.
The owners of 11 affected properties, who are still dealing with insurance claims, a clean up operation and months of misery and disruption ahead, are seeking answers about the causes of the flood amid concerns that the drainage infrastructure serving their area is not fit for purpose.
Residents were invited to an extraordinary meeting of the council called by Mayor and ward councillor Eamon Parkin and fellow ward councillor Sid Hawke.
Irwin Blenkiron and his neighbour Andrew Jarvis spoke on behalf of all residents to highlight their concerns and seek remedial action to ensure that a similar incident does not occur in the future.
Irwin Blenkiron (front, centre) and Andrew Jarvis (checked shirt) spoke on behalf of residents of Hillshaw Park Way at the extraordinary meeting.
Mr Blenkiron, an 80-year-old retired civil servant, told the meeting about an urgent pre-dawn phone call he received from a neighbour on February 21, warning that flood water was rapidly rising in the street in front of his home.
With the need for him and his wife Carol to evacuate their bungalow growing by the minute, cars were moved from the drive to higher ground and friends unaffected by the flood who live further down the street, welcomed them into their warm and dry home.
After the council meeting, Mr Blenkiron told the Stray Ferret:
“My wife and I have lived in the street since 1985 and we have never experienced anything like this before.”
Linda Beck, who has lived in the Hillshaw Park Way for 14 years, has written on behalf of affected residents to Yorkshire Water, expressing doubts about the pumping station and associated drainage infrastructure serving the area.
Yorkshire Water’s pumping station, which serves Hillshaw Park Way and Priest Lane.
She and neighbours believe it is no longer able to cope with increased capacity of water caused by more frequent stormy weather. exacerbated by run-off water from developments, including the nearby St Michael’s Retail Park at Rotary Way and the adjacent Cathedral Meadows residential development.
Linda Beck had to throw away items from her garage after they were saturated by flood water.
Her letter was sent to the developers, along with North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, and Ripon’s MP Julian Smith.
The pressure of water, caused by the February 21 flood, blew the cover off one of a series of storm drains located on land to the rear of Mr and Mrs Blenkiron’s home.
Ms Beck, whose garage, drive and back garden were flooded, said:
“I haven’t suffered the same degree of damage that other neighbours have experienced, but it’s a mess, massive inconvenience and I could have done without this.
“We certainly don’t want to have to put up with this again and it is clear to us that action is required.”
Andrew Jarvis, like other neighbours, is facing months of misery ahead as he waits for his home to dry out.
Those views are shared by Mr Jarvis, who who has lived in Hillshaw Park Way for 30 years. He pointed out:
“We need the causes of the February flood to be sorted out before the next storm arrives.
“The flood waters were totally unexpected and rose so quickly that there was no way of keeping them out of my house and garage.
“Now, along with Mr and Mrs Blenkirion, Linda and other neighbours on the street, I’m having to deal with the clean-up operation, with dehumidifiers around my home on virtually all the time making it hard to sleep.
“I even had to find a temporary home for my tropical fish, because it’s not suitable to have the aquarium here in these conditions.”
Yorkshire Water’s response
In response to the the letter sent by Ms Beck, Anthony Sumner, Yorkshire Water operational complaints champion, said that the flooding in Hillshaw Park Way occurred after the River Ure burst its banks and “the main surface water line out of Ripon had nowhere to go”.
Mr Sumner added:
“We were called to the sewerage pumping station as we had a report from a customer who thought the flooding was as a result of our asset failing.
“We met with a customer and showed that the sewerage pumping station was pumping as normal (by lifting both pumps and checked (sic) the rising main discharge point) .The issue as far as the pumping station was concerned was that it was taking on flood water and surface water (and) as such therefore couldn’t cope.
“There has never been any question for needing to increase capacity at this pumping station under normal conditions.
“Regarding increasing the size of the pumps, when the system was designed it was determined that the size of the pumps would meet the needs of the area, as has been shown under normal circumstances our pumps meet the requirements they were designed for.
“We would not look to increase the size or capacity at this time. Increasing the capacity of the pumps would detriment (sic) residents and communities further down the system especially during exceptional rainfall and severe storms similar to the ones we have recently experienced.”
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Call for investigation by the Environment Agency
Cllr Hawke said:
“The problem with this response is that weather events like Storm Franklin and before that Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, are becoming the norm and are occurring more frequently.
“Once you add in the additional waste and drainage water generated by new housing and other developments in Ripon, it is clear that capacities are going to be stretched on a more regular basis.
“That is why we want the Environment Agency, as the rivers authority, to head the investigation into what happened at Hillshaw Park Way in February, so that urgent improvements can can be made.
