MP: Agencies must work together
THE MP for South Ribble called for measures to be taken to tackle flooding in Tarleton, Hesketh Bank and Banks to prevent further damage and losses.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Katherine Fletcher MP asked Acting Leader of the House Stuart Andrew to join her call for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to urgently bring forward its proposals to tackle surface water flooding.
Repeated bouts of heavy rain have caused flooding issues to recur across homes, farms and businesses in recent months, causing both short and long-term problems for those affected.
As previously reported in the Advertiser, the problem has left farmers fearing for their livelihoods, while the extent of flooding on streets in the villages has required firefighters to spend hours attempting to pump water on several occasions. Ms Fletcher has previously stated that flooding is among her main issues to tackle as South Ribble MP but warned that multiple agencies need to properly work together in order for any resolution to be found.
Speaking in Westminster, she said: “The residents, farmers, business owners of South Ribble are a resilient bunch.
“However, this summer, too many of them have flooded in Leyland, in Tarleton, in Hesketh Bank in Banks.
“People have lost crops, they’ve lost possessions, they’ve had their businesses damaged and they are rightly cross and upset.
“The ways to fix this distressing problem sit with too many individual organisations at the moment.”