Flood protection needs to be at the top of the agenda for the Humber region - Yorkshire Post Letters

I would like to congratulate Emma Hardy, MP for West Hull and Hessle, for introducing a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons, highlighting her concerns about the lack of progress in flood protection planning in the Humber region, and beyond, which affects over half a million residents and businesses in the Humber region (The Yorkshire Post, March 29, 2023).

Have the current and previous governments not learned any lessons about the increased occurrences of extremes in weather patterns during recent years, with flooding in 2007 and extreme temperatures in 2022.

Flood protection schemes need to be identified and a priority action list be drawn up.

There should be monthly reminders to arrange meetings with neighbouring local authorities to get the 'ball rolling' and try to make some real progress on this important subject of flooding prevention measures.

I am sure that much of this work is in the planning stages but somebody needs to coordinate and prioritise.

As a matter of priority a report needs to be on the desk of Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, who is also MP for Beverley and Holderness, which is largely low lying, especially in Holderness area on the north bank or the river Humber.

Of course there have been flood defences built in Hull's Victoria Dock and Paull to protect properties over recent years, but the pace of progress is still far too slow. But some of these measures are inadequate after 2040.

There could be many low cost, easy fix schemes, like creating 'seasonal wildlife ponds' in low lying areas, which would be of benefit to wildlife. These areas fill with water during high rainfall, and slowly discharge into the outfall ditches going into the River Hull and Humber.

Planting trees like Willow, Alder and Poplar, which thrive in moist conditions, will have the opposite effect by blocking natural water course.

As a resident of Hedon in South West Holderness, I and neighbours are particularly concerned when there is a weather forecast for a prolonged period of rain as we are in the catchment area for the Yorkshire Wolds in north of East Riding of Yorkshire.

Emma Hardy makes a good comparison in London, where the Wetlands Centre at Barnes, in West London, protects thousands of properties in a densely built area.

The numbers of visitors to this site is increasing year on year, and the revenue income helps in the maintenance and management of the Wetlands Centre.

This is a more serious matter than our local politicians understand and it might mean a rare occurrence of either County Hall in Beverley, or the Guild Hall in Kingston upon Hull being affected by flooding, and ward councillors are unable to meet in council chambers, that the message is brought home to them.

In Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire communities there have the same threats of flooding due to Rivers Don and Dearne not having the capacity to take large volumes of rainwater.

Council Leaders should put this higher up the council agendas, as the consequences will be costly to life and infrastructures in towns and cities across Yorkshire.