Grants to help flood-hit residents

By casaunders

WEST Camel and Queen Camel homes that were devastated by flooding in December are to benefit from a cash grant.

One man died and several people had to be evacuated from their homes when flash floods swept across part of the region in December.

Somerset County Council has been awarded £267,900 to help the two villages' flood-hit homeowners.

Up to 47 homes in the villages will receive flood protection work as a result of the cash made available by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It will go towards measures such as flood boards, airbrick covers and non-return valves.

Queen Camel parish councillor Arthur Thring, who had to abandon his home after it was flooded by water up to nine inches deep, said he and others were still unable to move back into their homes.

He said: "If the county council could get a move on and get the work carried out quickly so we can benefit from the grant, it would make all the difference."

"The authorities cannot start any work on the homes affected until the work is approved by a loss adjuster and that will probably be another three months."

Cllr Michael Lewis, district councillor for Queen Camel and West Camel, said: "I hope that as well as making properties more resilient, the grant will go toward installing mechanisms to get the water out of homes quickly once it has come in."

William Wallace, county council cabinet member for community safety, said: "Fear of flooding is a daunting prospect for some residents and this grant should go a long way to prevent the devastating consequences of future floods.

"Securing this money is a good example of our partnership working to overcome stiff competition for much-needed national flood funding."

Surveys will be carried out on properties that have already been identified as at risk of flooding. With help from DEFRA and the Environment Agency, the Somerset Local Authorities' Civil Contingencies Partnership will invite contractors to tender for the work to be carried out.