September 2024
Flooding and Drainage update as at 16th September 2024.
The first ‘Tallington only’ Multi Agency online meeting took place on the 13th September with representatives of the parish council, LCC Highways, LCC Flood and Water, Environment Agency (EA), Anglian Water (AW), Internal Drainage Board (IDB), SKDC, MP Alicia Kearn’s assistant Helena and for the first time 2 representatives from Network Rail. The Parish council had sent pictures of the current overgrown state of the road surface gullies throughout the village to LCC Highways and SKDC. LCC Highways confirmed that a survey of all road gullies and drains in Tallington was in hand including replacing the kerb gullies with silt collecting units and that they would be cleared.
AW confirmed that this was very important as any clearance works would soon prove futile if drains were allowed to silt up again. SKDC are going to discuss with landowners including the Cement works the clearance of the road side ditches and field drains. Also how the LCC offer of assistance with the clearance of the under road culverts that were identified at the 24th July onsite meeting as blocked from the Main Road and Casewick Lane through to the cement works over the rail tracks north of the crossing will be implemented.
After many wasted months and following high level representations to NR from our MP Alicia Kearns the NR Public relations representative apologised and confirmed there had been a misunderstanding on exactly what drains had been cleared by them earlier in the year and that there was in fact still a section of culvert affecting the village blocked under the rail crossing. This was contrary to their PR departments past insistence to us, our MP and the media that the blockages were all clear. The NR engineering representative confirmed that CCTV imaging was already underway and that following this a scheduled closure would be required to clear what now looks like 10 to 15 metres of culvert. The remaining ancient dry stone walled/sand gravel base drain/culvert on the village side of the crossing having been cleared during two phases of work recently. The first phase in late July as reported last month when AW cleared approx. 12 metres of the ancient culvert, installing a 450mm diameter plastic pipe and an additional inspection chamber on the private land just before the crossing, erecting new fencing to replace the hedging ripped out with the permission and co-operation of the landowner. The second phase in early September clearing a section of approx. 10 metres under the public footpath towards the rail tracks, inserting a 450mm diameter pipe and inspection chamber to give easier access to the remaining blockage under the crossing. I will post a plan of the work done and yet to do that was shown to the meeting on the Parish council website as soon as I receive a copy from AW. Once the last section is cleared under the rail tracks the plan shows that there should be no obstructions from the inspection chamber opposite the manor house through to the open ditch beyond the Whistlestop pub. AW will then CCTV the whole length of the culvert to the Old Post Office in the first instance to find where the remaining blockages are and fix as required installing more pipe where work is carried out. Sources of potential further funding was raised again by AW (they have so far offered £200k) as to update the whole system will cost up to £1m. It is hoped that once the section 19 report is published that additional grant and aid funding may become available? Concern that only 3 of the 25 flood effected property owners were visited by the section 19 consultants was again raised.
The EA were also challenged on what further actions and work were planned as the TPC are concerned that their focus is not distracted by the surface water drainage issues? They were also asked not to repeat major works on the Maxey cut banks again this winter. The temporary river bank erosion repair before the Lolham road/rail bridges is to stay over winter with permanent repair unlikely till next summer. The next Tallington online multi-agency meeting (MAG) is scheduled for 7th October.
The village Flood response team met on the 24th September to discuss and update the Flood action plan and have been working with Mark Garthwaite, Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer, Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue/Lincolnshire County Council on the plan. Mark also gave a presentation about the March drone survey before the 25th September Parish council meeting.
Stay Safe. Philip. Tallington Parish Council as at 16th September 2024.