Memorandum submitted by Margaret Thompson
(FL 127)
FLOODING
As you will see I am a Witney resident but was
a fortunate one as I did not suffer from the flooding directly.
I was born at Cassington Mill on the Evenlode
in 1962 and saw the flooding effects at that time. From the age
of about 5 I remember seeing the waters rise in the winter leaving
only hedges and trees standing. In the 70's and 80's the river
management under the Thames Conservancy improved the situation
and as children we would see the dredging barges on the Thames
during the year.
One of the operatives is still in contact and
could tell you all a lot about the management of the rivers in
the area as this was his area of expertise. He does not have fancy
degrees etc but a working knowledge of the water ways. This team
of men kept the rivers well managed allowing the weed to grow
up in the summer to hold the water levels up and then dredge them
in the autumn to keep the flooding to a minimum. This is just
the same as the millers did over time with their stretches of
water.
The trees along the banks were looked after
too with regular pollarding to avoid the branches ending up in
the water and to stop the trees splitting and dying. The water
meadows were just that, areas that took the excess water and benefited
from the rich silt deposits. These areas were used in the summer
for animals. Farmers and landowners kept the ditches clear to
allow for the run off.
My family own Cassington Mill and have run a
caravan park there for years but decided to close in 2000 due
to the effects of flooding. The river is approximately 20 feet
wide as we kept it clear for our customers to benefit from but
below us the river has been left to "go back to nature"
by the Environment agency, and is about 3 to 4 feet wide now.
This is a subject which has angered us for a long time. We have
2 mill ponds and a lot of sluices here which mean we have a working
knowledge of the subject. One mill pond has been allowed to fill
up with debris and now has fairly large trees on an island in
it. When the water was rising a lot of the excess went into this
area and was contained but now has nowhere to go so rises and
covers the land. A river which becomes 4 feet wide from 20 feet
means that the water is forced into a smaller space and has by
the law of physics to rise hence the flooding.
I have pictures of the Windrush where the water
course is clear and the banks tidy as the blanket industry until
fairly recently used both the water power and the banks for the
blankets. They need to manage the water course for economic reasons.
All these rivers were managed water ways until
the Environment Agency got hold of them and a few classroom taught
people came up with the idea of "back to nature". It
is probably a money related idea. I cannot remember, but have
been told that the rates used to have a small portion on the bill
to cover dredging and river management.
Please can we have some common sense and ask
the older generation to teach us how to manage the rivers again
(before they pass on) and get this all back into proportion. Stop
the abject misery for the poor people who have been subject to
the flooding this particular year (not disregarding previous floods)
and actually manage the rivers.
Perhaps the Insurance industry (who now do not
wish to cover flood damage, and who would blame them) would be
willing to assist in this matter, put the flooding back onto the
local authority and allow monies to be collected to be used to
assist this problem. Most of the expensive flood defences would
not be needed, if this matter were controlled properly, and last
but by no means least the poor people who for what ever reason
are now trapped in this unfortunate situation be given some relief.
I would be very happy to meet and speak with
the inquiry as I feel so strongly about this subject.
Margaret Thompson (Mrs)
October 2007
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