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FLOODING FEARS REALISED
24 September 2006
The storm that hovered over Frome in the early hours of this Sunday morning unleashed floodwaters into Lower Keyford such as have not been seen here for years. The names of local streets are indicative of flood risk: to the north of us lies Water Lane; Lower Keyford was the site of a low-lying ford over a river or rivulet; and Culverhill is a corruption of culvert hill, where underground water emerges from a culvert STREET MAP HERE?. Following the natural lie of the land, rainwater flows down Water Lane, across Rossiters Hill where it joins with the flow coming down from the junction of Locks Hill, Rossiters Hill and Keyford. It then proceeds eastwards along Lower Keyford, past the ‘tank trap’ concrete bollards, into the ‘square’ at the junction of Stevens Lane and Lower Keyford. From there it moves on towards Culverhill where it meets more water coming down the road from the Locks Hill / Rossiters Hill crossroad. Flooding occurs in two areas: the ‘square’ in Lower Keyford, and the southern side of the foot of Culverhill. Local residents recall people getting around by boat years ago when floodwaters were almost waist-high.
For residents around the Lower Keyford ‘square’ flooding is particularly unpleasant because the combined drainage system takes both surface water and sewage. This means when the gullies are overburdened, a mixture of water and sewage rises like a lake between the houses. This has happened at least twice in the past 18 months but on both occasions prompt action by neighbours has prevented waters reaching into houses. Usually the problem is gullies blocked with leaves, plastic bags, twigs and rubbish; a few scrapes with a garden rake solves the problem, and the waters recede. This time it was different.
This storm had hovered over the town for over an hour, thunder and lightning illuminating sheets of torrential rain followed by a fierce hailstorm. The temperature, however, was mild so the hail melted quickly, adding to the burden of water accumulating upstream of us. Shortly after 0400h neighbours ventured out to check water levels and found the flood rising. The gullies were clear but the water still wasn’t draining away. Following familiar practice, neighbours ran up the western end of Lower Keyford, checking gully after gully but with the same result. The system was not draining. A blockage between the square and the Culverhill outflow point was suspected.
By 0500h the water in the centre of the square was over knee-high (approx. 24in. deep) and still rising. Suddenly there was a sound like a bath-plug being pulled somewhere beneath the ground, and the waters above the gullies began to swirl as drainage resumed. Whatever had been blocking the system had cleared itself, probably as a result of the sheer weight of water building up behind it. The water levels rapidly fell: one resident watched in amazement as within 30 seconds the 5in. of opaque brown water covering her entire front garden drained away before her eyes, bubbles popping up between paving stones. Inside four of the Lower Keyford houses, however, damage had already been done. Carpets, parquet floors, rugs, computers, personal equipment and papers, floor-length curtains and furniture lay in a layer of foul water. Teams of neighbours armed with brooms and squeegees worked for hours to brush the worst of it out of doorways, but much remained to be dealt with later in the day. As the firemen packed up their pumping equipment, weary and shocked residents went back to bed to catch up on sleep before resuming their labours.
Wessex Water sent staff to check the site that morning. Samples of floodwater tested positive for sewage, and nasties such as sanitary towels, condoms, tampon tubes and bits of disposable nappies littered the road surface. Within hours one team of workmen was cleansing the square and affected houses and gardens with powerjets and disinfectant sprays PHOTOS FROM GARETH AND CHRIS CROUDACE, while another brought dehumidifiers to dry out the flooded rooms.
Why is this storm so significant to POLKA?
Flooding has happened on several occasions over recent years despite the local council putting giant culverts and tanks under the road surface of the square. Offshore property developers have already felled mature trees which not only grace the local community but drink up hundreds of gallons of water every day, helping reduce surface run-off of rainwater. Now this company, Stonewall Manor Limited, wants to build at least 6 houses near the top of the hill above that part of Lower Keyford most vulnerable to flooding. Savills, the property agents who represented the developers in 2005, wrote to Mendip District Council to suggest that, “Development of the whole area would represent an infill opportunity.” One known associate of the developers has spoken of 14 houses being built on this limited site. Whether 6 or 14, these houses will cover ground that is currently open and porous. The roofs, down pipes, foul pipes and drains will carry waste household water from all those additional lavatories, baths, washing machines, sinks and dishwashers into the already overburdened drainage system we use. The new hard-surfaced car parking places, access roads, footpaths and paved areas will not absorb rain, so surface water from these will also have to be routed into the main combined sewer. The drainage system from the new site will be routed southwards across the grounds and garden of Stonewall Manor itself, per a contract forced upon the present owners of the Manor by Stonewall Manor Limited when the company sold the house and kept the orchard site for development. This means that waste from the new houses will enter the drainage system downstream of Lower Keyford. Our waste water, which in bad weather is already more than the system can cope with, will take even longer to drain away. Our flood risk will increase along with the water levels. And where will the new houses be? High and dry.
Help us fight the flood risk. Help us combat this development. LINK
