YP Letters: Flood warning from the playing fields of Eton

From: Ewan Larcombe, Lawn Close, Datchet.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Feb 2016, 15:23 BST
Updated 19th Feb 2016, 15:25 BST
Clifford's Tower, once part of York Castle, in York, which sits between the River Ouse and River Foss, is reflected in floodwater after the rivers burst their banks.Clifford's Tower, once part of York Castle, in York, which sits between the River Ouse and River Foss, is reflected in floodwater after the rivers burst their banks.
Clifford's Tower, once part of York Castle, in York, which sits between the River Ouse and River Foss, is reflected in floodwater after the rivers burst their banks.

CORRESPONDENCE on flooding about a flood channel for York refers to the £7m Jubilee Canal protecting Windsor, Eton and Maidenhead.

In fact the 12km x 50m wide Jubilee River by-pass channel was the major element of the £110m Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme. This project was conceived in the 1980s, constructed in the latter 1990s and fell apart on first use in 2002/3.

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The brand new, world-class, award winning flood alleviation channel was severely damaged at only two-thirds capacity.

Today the JR channel is steadily degrading. The channel does reduce the probability of flooding in Windsor, Eton and Maidenhead but also deposits un-attenuated flood flows onto unprotected downstream villages – normally at night when the EA manually opens the flow control structure.

In my opinion, the Environment Agency is unaccountable. Scrutiny is insufficient and lacking rigour.

The organisation itself will not admit that they get things wrong and therefore is unable to reflect, to learn and do better.

This is public money – yours and mine – and despite yet another series of devastating flood events I cannot see things improving.

Related topics:York