Residents in the Monktonmead area of Ryde are expressing their anger this afternoon (Wednesday) as the area has once again been flooded – despite millions of pounds being spent on flood defence schemes in recent years.
As previously reported by Island Echo, a £5.2million scheme to protect the neighbourhood was completed just over 3 years ago but it has not stopped the local community from being devastated in today’s deluge, which has seen 82.5mm of rainfall recorded in Ryde in the past 24 hours alone.
It appears that the flood wall around Simeon Street Recreation Ground was undermined by access holes not actually being closed off as they should have been. Staff were seen putting the wooden slates in place at around 05:30 this morning, but it was already too late.
Island Echo is told by locals that the pumping station didn’t appear to be emptying out into Ryde Marina.
Properties on The Strand, East Street, Monkton Street, Simeon Street and the bottom of West Hill Road have all suffered severe flooding with locals rallying around those affected.
It is understood that the British Red Cross are being deployed to the area.
A local resident has said on social media:
“[The] Council didn’t come out and close the flood gates at Simeon Eec. Everyone on the bottom half of West Hill Road is under water.
“Just a bit of a joke – what’s the point of a flood wall if you’re not gunna make use of it!”
Ryde has a long history of flooding dating back over 100 years. In particular, significant incidents have been recorded in 1909, 1936, 1965, 1999, with more recent flooding occurring in 2000, 2010 and 2013.
UPDATE @ 15:56 – Responding to criticism over the Environment Agency’s response to the flooding, Michael Turner, Environment Manager Environment Agency, has said:
“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to those who are experiencing the devastating impact of having their homes and businesses flooded.”
“Our current priority is our emergency response and we are working with the emergency services to protect the community. We will review our response to this latest flood once we are out of this incident.
“We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgencySE on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”
Isle of Wight council failing to do their jobs again. No surprise there. Is anyone in charge?
Appears not
And any word from our Council Leader after 24 hours on their actions or support to those affected – a deafening silence !
If wooden slats were there and just waiting to be put in place?, why didn’t someone or resident or member of public put them in ?. Why do people not act and just think someone else should. Like when they put salt etc in yellow boxes at junctions, everyone just drive’s past and then crashes car on ice. If you see a problem or risk then do something about it and not just think someone else will.
These New homes should never if been built here in first place.
You can’t build there mate….The planning department needs shutting down…..
Although I agree someone should have put them in, I would have if I lived there in this case I don’t think would have helped. Just too much water.
Public doesn’t have access to slats they’re not lying around on ground, they’re locked up in a bin as far as I’m aware, it’s the responsibility of council to initiate (to whom I pay over £100pm council tax to along with many other things, to have my back..), it’s hardly reasonable for public to think wonder if the slats are in let me go and check, albeit it’s midnight and pitch dark, ridiculous, and it’s got 5 thumbs up. Give me strength!! Considering heartache this is giving to many property owners, think it through before post maybe..
That’s ironic actually. A few years ago when the brook was close to flooding, myself, my husband and the ten Councillor went down there and personally contacted the necessary EA contractors and eventually got them erected. Fortunately they weren’t needed on that occasion.
As far as I know it is the EA who authorises the use of the gates and not the Council but I will stand corrected if I am wrong.
It will be interesting to see what the EA come up with as an explanation.
They protect against incursion by the sea. This was due to exceptional rainfall. The slats would have done nothing.
They don’t have anything to do with the incursion of the sea. The brook breaches it’s banks when the surface and rainwater cannot escape in to the sea when/if the pumps are on. There are non return valves to stop seawater coming back in.
What new homes? Very few new homes down Monktonmead way. It’s climate change (5th bad flood now inside 25yrs) – not just the sea level creeping up, but the fact we now definitely get faster and harder flash storms at a far greater frequency.
Binstead has a load of homes that should never have been built on flood plains. Again though, climate change denial in our planning department saw them refuse to accept the future would soon bring these issues.
Not helped by the flood gates not being closed of course! Sadly they were locked back so nothing anyone without the key could have sorted I’m afraid (I think folk did try).
You do know ‘climate change’ is outright cobblers? Our sun controls weather and it’s going insane currently with massive solar flares and CME’s impacting earth’s magnetosphere as a magnetic 12k year planetary cycle (kali yuga cleansing) takes place,hence increasing worldwide volcanic and seismic activities of late.
Not much can be done with this despite the ludicrous trumpetings of the Gates/Rockefeller demonics to ‘block out the sun’ lol.Doesn’t quite work that way but they’re more than happy to mercantalise the situation and adopt it for their usual nefarious,draconian playbook.
The sun has been cooling this past 30 years+.
Which I’m surprised you don’t seem to know being as you’re clearly such an expert…
You really are a numpty who uses big words to disguise your ignorance.
“kali yuga cleansing” “Gates/Rockefeller demonics”
Ha ha ha. You have really lost your shit as they say.
Spot on!!people brain washed with this CC crap,wake up people
“You do know ‘climate change’ is outright cobblers? Our sun controls weather ..”
Sometimes is is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak (or type) and to remove all doubt…
Exactly, what new homes, was going to put it in my previous post but ran out of space. Some Isle of wighters could manage to dovetail comments about their all consuming obsession about housebuilding, into post about a lost cat.. Lets face it some criticism might be justified but nibyism is the driving force for most of it ie I live in a nice place, you can’t because you might make it not quite as nice, basically. But we’re not the channel Islands and if we were most retirees who are a lot of the complainants, would not be able to afford a property, or be allowed to move to a tax haven in the first place, come to that..
The gates are not just wooden slats. They are kept locked in a big metal box and there is no access to the box except as far as I know to the EA and their contractors.
Please don’t even think of blaming the residents for this.
No access to them AND we were too busy stopping the water ♀️
Rubbish council planning strikes again. Where is the council statement about this, strangely quiet and of course now Jerk Jordan is in charge.
Flood defences are not worth the paper they were dreamed up on. Drainage is the problem. Sadly overlooked for years.The island like many authorities lack the funding and infrastructure to cope with large volumes of water we are now seeing. If the council had spent their budget more wisely years ago the tunnel at the esplanade wouldn’t have flooded. It amazes me how we are surrounded by water but we don’t divert the overflow towards it.
Five awful floods down this way inside 25 years now.
Doesn’t help that the flood defenses have failed. of course! Still astonishes me how many seem keen to deny climate change is going to be an issue for many of us Islanders!
Flooding was 30 years apart, now less that 10 years apart. And also higher water. Almost like the weather is getting worse just like the climate scientists said it would. Who would have thought educated intelligent people being correct when idiot pub experts are wrong. This will happen more and will get worse.
Yeah, but the gammonistas will tell you it’s just the weather.
This. Exactly this.
It was bad once every 30 or 40 years. Now it is an issue every five years.
So depressing there are still so many people that want to pretend that climate change is all made up.
I’m afraid they have it backwards. The denial of climate change is the thing that has been deliberately manufactured. Largely by the same lobby firms that told us all smoking was good for us back in the day as well!
If the council failed to ensure that the flood defences were put in place correctly despite clear warnings from the environment agency and heavy rain yesterday they could be in line for some pretty hefty claims for damages.
I just hope that doesn’t end up coming out of all of our pockets.
More building approved by our so called Council would make flooding worse, the Strand has always flooded.
How much emphasis is placed on potential flooding when the IW Council and Councillors are approving the never ending list of planning applications to cover the island in tarmac, concrete, industrial buildings and residential properties?
walls wont stop water bubbling up out of the ground like it does in the surrounding area
No good moaning about climate change, write to the Chinese embassy, that will give them a laugh.
Is it true that the council didn’t shut the gates of the flood prevention system?
IW Council couldn’t undo a packet of crisps, yet alone close a
Gate
“Useless good for nothing Fcukers”
What’s the betting our Council tax will go up due to their Balls up.
Those idiots could not close an umbrella
What is wrong with that council. Island people demand a proper kick out as you do pay their wages they work for you. So make them work for you. God corrupt no confidence, just simply lazy and a laugh a minute
Climate change deniers like covid deniers and all the other corner of the pub experts who didn’t even get a CSE in woodwork at school, let alone climatology, should be put on an island all together to thrash out their ridiculous conspiracy theories to think they are the big “I am”, because no-one else thinks they are. Oops we are an island, perhaps that explains it, secret government conspiracy to put those who are not quite the ticket on iow!
Councils keep granting planning on flood plains, all that happens is the water gets moved elsewhere if the construction companies have installed drainage and pumps. Lack of planning caused most of the flooding. Lack of infrastructure to cope.
Westacre Park housing development a prime example of planned building on a flood plain.
I’ve been there helping all day and not one person from the ea, council or Red Cross was to be seen! There could literally be people drown in their home and no one knows!
We’ve never seen the water get this high in 37+years!
This is their fault! And they should compensate each and every resident as most cannot get insurance and never expected the water to be twice as high as it ever has been before so storing belongings above 2ft was disastrous for us as 4ft+ came in!
We have a letter from the ea stating it’s a 1 in 100 year chance of flooding after the work they did. What they have done has made it worse! And to not turn the pumps on and block off the defences is disgusting!NOONE was helping!lies!
You should be ashamed of yourselves!
where is all the water going to go when they build 900 houses on Pennyfeathers
It is because the Council are run by Idiots, bet they forgot to close the
Flood Gates.
It’s a good job they did or more water would be in peoples homes
Absolute disgrace I feel so sorry for those people who have had their homes flooded due to the gross incompetence of the very services who should have protected them.
The boards are locked in boxes meaning that they can’t just be accessed by anyone but even when they did arrive only 2 boards were put in place, less than 2 ft in a 6ft wall with the amount of water already there at 0530 and high tide not even arrived why were not all 6ft of defense not put in place
Now due to this I have a vulnerable person left with no electricity and the fear of it happening again.
Thanks for the apology (NOT) from Michael Turner of The Environment Agency.
Always surprises me that people buy houses on a flood plain.
Why does the flood defence require a human to go and put some bits of wood in? Just use a float valve or a non return, or an electronically actuated one… i
If some wood is needed to be put in though, why isn’t it EA SOPs to action all flood defences when rain expected is greater than X. And automatic text call or email should go out and be actioned. It’s pretty high on priorities to keep water out of buildings….