3 Isle of Wight Councillors have welcomed the construction of a new footbridge over Lukely Brook by the ford in Castle Street, Carisbrooke.
The bridge, built by Island Roads on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, is a replacement for an older bridge the flawed design of which contributed to the flooding of Christmas Eve 2013.
Councillor Chris Whitehouse (Conservative, Newport West Ward) says:
“On Christmas Eve 2013, the level of Lukely Brook rose rapidly after very heavy rain. The existing bridge at Castle Street did not allow enough head-room for the water and it became effectively a dam. The new bridge, designed especially with this in mind, has a higher clearance and side bars instead of solid walls. So, even if the water level were to rise, the water could still flow both under and over the bridge, reducing the flood risk to local residents.”
The new bridge is one of a series of improvements in and around Lukely Brook undertaken in response to a campaign by Councillors Chris Whitehouse, Julie Jones-Evans and John Hobart.
Cllr Whitehouse adds:
“Working with the Council, with the Environment Agency, with Southern Water, with Island Roads and the Island MP, Andrew Turner, with the support of Newport Rivers Group and concerned local residents, we have made real progress in tackling factors which contributed to flooding three years ago along the whole length of Lukely Brook.
“Let’s hope that residents of Carisbrooke and Newport can be spared any repetition of the misery of the Christmas floods of 2013.”
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