RIVER SEVERN FLOODS

One thing is for sure, we will always have to live with floods. The River Severn is notorious for rising quickly, but as bargemen will say, "A quick rise, is usually a quick fall". Being a long river there are many tributaries feeding in, helping to increase the amount of water in the River Severn.

Man has tried over the years to stop the water rising up over the banks with massive flood defence schemes. But as I always say, "One mans flood defence, is another mans flood". Water cannot be

compressed, it has to go somewhere, as always over the lowest bank! Many people forget that flooding in river areas does not always come from the river, but rising up over the banks of streams. Tewkesbury is a good example, normally the first area to suffer flooding is the Ashchurch Road district as the steams top the bank before reaching the Avon and Severn.

Man has also ignored what nature put in place millions of years ago. Natural flood plains for any water spilling over the bank to settle until levels go down and it can run back into the river. Now property has been built on these plains and we are now paying for it by massive insurance claims following regular flooding!!!