Yorkshire council wants flood-hit residents to send in photos of damaged homes

More than 100 homes in Snaith and East Cowick were flooded in February and early March after the River Aire burst its banks, following on from the severe flooding in the Calder Valley on the other side of Yorkshire.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has launched an investigation into the way agencies dealt with the incident and the causes behind the deluge.

And in a bid to gather more information for the investigation, which is not expected to be published until at least this summer, the Tory-run authority has launched an appeal for people to send in their pictures and video of the flooding and the damage it did to their homes.

The council has a statutory duty to investigate and produce a report on major flooding incidents under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Officials hope the lessons learned from the review will help to avoid a similar incident happening again in the future.

During the investigation, officials from organisations including the Environment Agency and the emergency services will be examined to assess their role in trying to avert the crisis and how to minimise the chances of it happening again.

Launching the appeal for the public’s help Paul Abbott, head of housing, transportation and public protection, said: “We really want to hear from people affected by the recent flooding in the Snaith and East Cowick area.

“They may have photos or videos of the flooding and its effects, and we would like them to share them with us, or indeed any information that they feel might be useful.

“The investigation is an opportunity for the local community to get fully involved, and help to shape the final report which we produce, which will include recommendations for the future.”

This month, Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy said millions of pounds of flood defence improvements were made locally in 2015, “through the piling of the Snaith primary defence bank”.

The Conservative MP said: “The water coming down the catchment in this latest incident has been on a scale we have never seen before.”

Earlier this month an Environment Agency flood risk manager explained how the washlands near Snaith and East Cowick helped reduce the impact of the flooding but reached capacity due to the “sheer volume of water”.

In a blog post on the agency’s website, Adam Bayliss said the marshy areas which store river water at times of high rainfall “did do what they are supposed to do in reducing flood risk and preventing flooding to around 2,600 properties”.

But he said: “Unfortunately, the sheer volume of water meant they reached capacity and overspilled, flooding some properties in Snaith, East Cowick and Hirst Courtney.”

Anybody with information to share with the East Riding investigation is asked to email their pictures, videos or general information to [email protected].