Housing developers should provide more money for permanent flood pumps across Somerset, according to a senior figure from the Parrett Internal Drainage Board. Tony Bradford, who is also vice-chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority, made the call after Storm Chandra caused severe flooding and disruption across the county in January and February.

The flooding has led to renewed calls for more investment in flood defences and a closer look at how and when water is pumped off the Somerset Levels and Moors. The Environment Agency spent £5m responding to the storms and is now looking at extra permanent pumps in the Bathpool area of Taunton.

The agency is also putting £9m into upgrading existing pumping stations across Somerset. Ross Edwards, representing the Environment Agency, outlined the response when the Somerset Rivers Authority held its latest board meeting in Bridgwater on Friday, 5 June.

Mr Edwards said: "We are fully committed to the Levels and Moors being a pump-managed system. We are not averse to putting more permanent pumps in – such as at Bathpool, assuming we get all the money – but we are also confident that having that temporary capability does give the community resilience and flexibility, because no two floods are the same."

He added: "Due to the fact that this area is sparsely populated, we think we've pretty much optimised what we can do with regards to permanent pumping on the wider Levels and Moors. We've got a £9m upgrade going into our pumping stations at the moment. New pumps have just gone in at Huish Episcopi, and Midelney, Northmoor and Westover are all on the agenda to have new pumps put in."

Iain Study, from the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium, welcomed the investment as "great news" and said it would secure the future of the pumping stations. He said he would be keen to work with the Environment Agency on further assessment of other ways of fuelling, operating and installing pumps.

Mr Study added: "We need to make sure that temporary pumping can be operated as easily as possible going forward." But Mr Bradford said the current reliance on temporary pumping had not gone far enough for communities hit by flooding.

Mr Bradford said more funding for permanent pumps should come through the community infrastructure levy, known as CIL, which is charged on housing developments in some parts of Somerset. He argued that a share of that money should be directed towards managing extra water affecting low-lying areas.

advertisement

He said: "Obviously temporary pumping isn't working, otherwise the council wouldn't have declared a serious incident. The EA says they couldn't pump earlier because they were spending taxpayers' money – but they were spending taxpayers' money bringing in temporary pumps."

Mr Bradford added: "The EA worked their socks off when they got the pumps going – but it took ten days or a fortnight to get them switched on, and by that time people were already up to their necks in water. Surely it would be better to have something permanent there?"

He said Somerset had now seen three major flooding events in ten years and argued that permanent pumps would give residents greater reassurance. He said: "We need permanent pumps which can be switched on so people can rest easy at night – instead of getting a knock on the door telling them to get out because of flooding. People are petrified."

Mr Bradford said developers should be asked to contribute towards the infrastructure needed to deal with the impact of new housing. He said: "We should get some of these developers to pay for permanent pumps. A certain percentage of CIL money should be channelled into getting rid of their excess water, which is having a detrimental impact on low-lying areas in Somerset."

Original reporting: LDRS/Daniel Mumby

More local stories

• Sellout success boosts four good causes
• Glastonbury, Street, Wells and Shepton faced no-new-homes option
• Glastonbury hit by second suspected van arson in a week