Pipe surveys to take place in flood-hit community 'in near future'
Surveys to check on pipework under a flood-hit community will take place "in the near future", a leader has said.
Investigations will take place in Coleham, Shrewsbury, so Shropshire Council knows the condition of the entire network underground. Checks are also to be made on why the entrance of the Barnabas Centre keeps flooding.
It comes after a fresh plea for action was made by members of the Coleham community at the weekend, after the area was devastated by three disastrous flooding events in two years.
An Environment Agency report to inform the best way forward for long-term measures should have been published in spring time, and members of the community including Councillor Kate Halliday raised concerns that they had been "forgotten".
No date has been set for the surveys, as the council considers disruption that will be caused on the roads.
Steve Charmley, deputy leader and cabinet member with responsibility for highways, shared detail on where Shropshire Council are at with the flooding situation in Coleham.
He said: “After the flooding in 2020 and 2021 we cleansed the entire highway drainage network in Coleham as part of the post flood clean-up operation. The highway drainage network in Coleham was found to be in good condition, and where possible CCTV surveys of connecting pipework were undertaken. Unfortunately, due to high river levels during this time, river water was still flooding some sections of pipework and it was not possible to survey the entire network.
“Follow-up investigations are still required, though as Coleham is one of the main routes into the town centre consideration needs to be given on the timing of these works. In order to reduce disruption to the local businesses we’re intending to programme follow-up surveys at an appropriate time in the near future.
“We’re also intending to undertake works to investigate the cause of the regular flooding at the entranceway to the Barnabas Centre. CCTV surveys undertaken after the flooding in 2021 indicated that there has been a collapse on the outfall pipe from the gully, resulting in the flooding. Works to identify the cause of this collapse are now programmed and if possible the system will be re-instated to address this issue."
He added: “We’re pleased to see that a large number of the businesses in Coleham affected by flooding in both 2020 and 2021 are now installing Property Flood Resilience Measures funded through the Property Flood Resilience Recovery Support Scheme. This scheme was administered by Shropshire Council and provided up to £5000 per property to make them more resilient to flooding. We’re are continuing to work with the Environment Agency on flood alleviation projects for all areas of Shrewsbury that remain undefended; however the resilience measures funded as part of the grant will be essential in helping businesses quickly return to normal until any future scheme can be delivered."
