Memorandum submitted by John Rossetti
(FL 150)
I was prompted by a passage I heard on Radio
4 tonight, to listen on the internet in full to Mr Duncan Jordan
and others from Gloucestershire talking to your committee.
May I draw your attention to a past service
that, owing to the younger ages of the parties in the room, you
and the committee may not be aware of.
It is that of a facility now missing in this
country, "buffer depots". These existed in the '50s
and '60s under the ministry of supply, to provide large quantities
of food and other materials to be used in the event of an emergency.
I can remember as a BBC Cameraman going around the country filming
inside these depots and being amazed at the facilities they offered.
From Green Goddess fire engines, to sand bags, crowd barriers,
pumps, and even ambulances, boats, tinned food, flour, blankets,
etc etc.
These as far as I know, are all now closed or
sold off, and the point made by Mr Jordan, that obtaining large
quantities of the right materials in the event of an emergency
was a problem is, I think, a direct result of these depots being
closed.
For what ever reason, society lives in an age
of "just enough at the time". As an example, the Oil
Fire in Hemel Hempstead which I attended as a News Cameraman and
I remember being told "off the record" that it had stretched
the emergency services to an extent that had there been a second
emergency, it would not been possible to adequately cover it.
Supermarkets rely on the constant and regular
drip feed of supplies and if, heaven forbid, there was a run on
food or water for example, they could not cope, the same, it seems,
applies to the authorities that a when there is a natural disaster,
like flooding, we do not the spare capacity that these depots
previously offered.
It is clear that other local emergencies and
floods similar to those in Gloucestershire will continue to occur,
and that a requirement for the fast bulk supply of materials will
be required in the future and maybe the reintroduction of these
depots should be considered.
COMMENTS RE:
FLOODING
On a separate note, I live very close to the
Alder Bourne, a stream that was, only 10 years ago, fairly fast
flowing, more than able to keep its self clear of obstructions
by the pressure of its own flow, and as a result, the maintenance
requirement of land owners or parish councils was minimal.
Over the years the local water authority has
drawn so much from its source and along the route that it is now
not much more than a trickle and as a result very overgrown. When
there is heavy rain it always floods in varying degrees along
its length because of the weeds etc, as a result it no longer
has the ability to carry any significant flow when it does occur.
I used to own a canal boat and because of British
Waterways regular maintenance they are almost always clear and
rarely flooded, but still, all around the country there are similar
problems to the "Alder" with brooks, streams and small
rivers. These are not very good at looking after themselves unless
they have a good continuous flow, if they do not, they need maintaining,
most do not have a regular flow, or are maintained, and as long
as that situation exists, there will always be problems.
Thank you for your time.
John Rossetti
November 2007
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