Flood-hit Tallington residents call on Anglian Water and Lincolnshire County Council to fix issues with drains and sewers
People living in a village devastated by flooding almost two months ago are fearing for the future.
Storm Henk hit the area on January 2 leaving a trail of destruction as rivers burst banks and water ran off fields or bubbled up through the drains.
One of the places worst affected was Tallington which was submerged in water for days.
During the early hours of Thursday, January 4 people living in houses along the A1175,
Mill Lane and Bainton Road were woken up by police warning them of the rising water.
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Among those forced to evacuate was Jay Baynes and his family, who live in Mill Lane.
He described watching his home flood as ‘heartbreaking and stressful’.
“Flooding isn’t like what they show you on TV,” said Jay. “It isn’t fast and furious, it’s like watching a really slow car crash which you know is going to happen but there’s nothing you can do.”
Jay, 44, and his partner Jade, 38 were put up in a room at The Crown in Stamford while their children Rafe, 8, Maia, 8, and Jocelyn, 12, went to stay with different family members as there wasn’t enough room in the hotel.
Once the flooding subsided the family – who Jay describes as vulnerable – returned to their home, despite it still being waterlogged, so they could be together again.
They used dehumidifiers to try to remove the moisture and have slowly been repairing the damage.
However, Jay says they are now living in fear that their home will be flooding again.
“You shouldn’t have to fear it raining,” he said.
“When you have been flooded you do get a bit of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
“This is not the Victorian age, it is 2024.”
Jay believes little action has been taken to ensure flooding to that scale does not happen again.
Like others in the village, Jay has contacted Lincolnshire County Council and Anglian Water but says both organisations are pointing fingers at each other.
He said: “There is lots of sitting on hands but while that is happening it is still raining and drains are filling up.”
Jay added: “It’s like the left hand can’t talk to the right hand.”
He believes ‘red tape’ and ‘meetings to discuss meetings about issues that should be urgent’ are taking priority over solutions.
A number of reports have been logged on FixMyStreets relating to blocked drains in Tallington.
In the past week a number of homes have also been left without access to water as, according to Jay, the sewers have been blocked due to heavy rainfall but there is nowhere to pump it.
Jay alleges he has been told by Anglian Water that they cannot do anything as flood water is the responsibility of the county council.
“My family hasn’t been able to use the toilets since Saturday. There’s no sense of urgency,” said Jay, adding that he fears more houses could start to lose access.
Residents are taking matters into their own hands by learning how to use water pumps, should the village flood again.
“I’m not a fireman, I work in IT - I shouldn’t need to learn how to use a pump,” said Jay.
“What are we paying them for? Where is our council tax going?”
Philip Sagar, chairperson of the parish council, is leading the flood defence and has been raising money for pumps for the village.
“It was unprecedented.
“Nobody in living memory remembers Tallington being flooded,” he said.
Philip has been inundated with messages from concerned residents who are worried their homes will flood again.
He believes some of the drainage issues have been going on for years.
“It is a battle between Lincolnshire County Council’s highways and Anglian Water about who is responsible,” he said, describing the situation as ‘scandalous’.
With heavy rainfall over the weekend (Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18) there was flooding in the village which came from run off and blocked drains, rather than the river.
Mervyn Franklin spent five hours pumping water away from his house yesterday but woke up with his driveway six inches under water this morning (February 22).
“We are in a pretty bad position,” he said.
“We just want the highways authority to repair the collapsed or blocked drain and relieve the surface water.
“My house is just an inch away from being flooded.”
An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Flooding and drainage issues are complicated, with many different owners and responsibilities.
“We look after the sewers and any flooding from manholes.
“The Environment Agency has responsibility for groundwater and fluvial flooding, and your lead local flood authority, usually the county council, manages the risk of flooding and the provision of alternative facilities, but only if a wider incident is declared.”
The problems in Tallington are being caused by rain and surface water getting into the sewer network rather than a specific problem with the system.
The spokesperson said: “Our sewers are designed to take away the waste from homes and businesses, but the nature of what they are there to do, means they’re not sealed systems and excess rainwater and groundwater can infiltrate into them during prolonged or extreme wet weather.
“While our network is operating the best it can, there’s much less room for the sewerage which can cause problems with flushing toilets or using showers and washing machines.
“We know it's hugely frustrating, but these problems will get better once these water levels recede, creating more room in the sewers again.”
Anglian Water is planning to meet with Tallington Parish Council to speak with residents about their concerns and how to reduce the impacts of flooding in the area.
They also suggested residents unable to use their showers and toilets should contact Lincolnshire County Council who can offer support on alternative facilities.
The council is spending millions of pounds investigating hundreds of flooding incidents including in Tallington.
This will look into the causes and factors that impacted the flooding in the village and how flooding could be prevented in the future.
According to a Lincolnshire County Council spokesperson the drains in the Tallington area were jetted in September 2023, as part of an ongoing maintenance cycle and no issues were found with them.
An officer is being sent to Tallington to assess the condition of the drains and where the water goes to.
What do you think? Share your views in the comments.
