Homes engulfed as anger at PM’s absence grows
VILLAGERS inundated by devastating flooding yesterday slammed Boris Johnson’s continuing refusal to visit their storm-battered communities.
Shocking images showed a bungalow in Snaith, East Yorkshire, submerged almost to the tops of its windows, while dirty water lapped around worktops in another evacuated property.
After the wettest February on record created a lake almost the size of Windermere across the surrounding countryside, residents demanded to know where the Prime Minister was.
Among those helping with the clean- up at Snaith yesterday was Jane Garbutt, a lifelong Labour voter who switched to the Tories for the first time in the December general election. The 49-year-old, from the neighbouring village of Hensall, said she felt ‘let down’ by the lack of leadership shown since the start of the flooding following Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge.
‘It’s a disgrace that he’s not here,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘We’ve had no visits, there’s been nobody come here.’ During the election campaign last November, Mr Johnson visited Stainforth, just six miles from Snaith, after the nearby village of Fishlake was swamped.
Mrs Garbutt said: ‘If he turned up, it would feel like they were showing some compassion and empathy... It feels like he’s got our votes and that’s it, he doesn’t have to bother any more.’
A Snaith resident evacuated last week as the River Aire prepared to burst its banks accused Mr Johnson of being ‘too busy celebrating the fact that he’s engaged and having another baby’ to visit.
Staggering rainfall figures showed an average of 8in (200mm) across the UK last month – more than three times the average for February.
But fears that Storm Jorge – named by Spain’s meteorological office – would make matters even worse subsided over the weekend, when a critical incident declared in South Wales was downgraded.
However, in Anglesey the Menai suspension bridge was closed after a driver had a lucky escape when a tree fell on their car, while a Nottingham street was closed as 50mph gusts ripped part of the roof off a tower block.
Communities from the Welsh valleys to the east coast of England
‘Show some compassion’
have been left counting the cost of the battering already sustained from Storms Ciara and Dennis.
In Snaith, 23 properties were confirmed as flooded on top of another 50 in nearby East Cowick.
They included new-build houses which had been designed to cope with standing in a foot of water – but distraught residents said nothing could have prepared them for the deluge they suffered.
The Priory Church in Snaith provided shelter for dozens of evacuees – among them pregnant Katie Cuckoo, 28, whose wedding took place there just six weeks ago.
‘It was just surreal,’ said the staff nurse, who is the fourth generation of her family to make her vows in the historic building.
‘The last time I was at the church was my wedding day when I was done up to my eyeballs and then I was back in looking a mess because I had been evacuated.’
Twelve heavy duty pumps have been in operation to move water into the Aire and Calder canal and the River Don to try to reduce water levels, which were starting to subside yesterday.
Andrew Percy, Tory MP for Brigg and Goole, yesterday met residents and insisted a prime ministerial visit would achieve nothing and added: ‘What can he do?’
Mr Johnson’s spokesman insisted an appearance would ‘distract’ from recovery work and said he was ‘working with ministers’ to ensure people received help.
Calls for Mr Johnson to witness the devastation also came from Shropshire, which remains under threat – with water levels on the swollen River Severn expected to peak again today.
In Shrewsbury, Anne Davies said:
‘They were all in Shropshire for the general election campaign. now we’ve got this massive issue he’s nowhere to be seen – it’s not very good at all.’
buckled flood barriers at Ironbridge, which was among the worst-hit towns, have been repaired in anticipation of the next surge. dave Throup, environment agency manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said it was ‘impossible to convey’ how much water remained across the submerged Severn floodplains south of Worcester yesterday.
The number of flood warnings in place across england and Wales had declined slightly to 79 last night. Forecasters have predicted sunshine and wintry showers for the start of the week – but said there could be further flooding and hill snow from Wednesday onwards.