RESIDENTS TOLD THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR CULVERT REPAIR

race. It said the damage to the culvert is

“very serious” and advised residents in houses alongside the brook to “immediately evacuate their homes” because the culvert could “potentially collapse”.

However, it said that because the culvert is on private land, “it is the responsibility of the landowners to carry out inspections and repairs to ensure the safety of the houses”.

The council’s warning of the potential risk of homes collapsing was contained in a letter written on August 2, and received by affected residents on August 6.

The council now says it will be paying for the repairs to the culvert so work can start “as soon as possible” but that it would “recoup the costs at a later date”.

Donna Goodwin lives with husband Martin in one of the affected homes in Charles Street. She said the flood “destroyed” everything in their cellar.

She said: “They (the county council and Environment Agency) have taken over a week to establish the route of said culvert and it appears that it passes under the very back corner of our property and partially through our back garden.

“Although we have never been made aware of this despite owning the property for over 20 years, they appear to be holding us responsible for the repair of damage caused during the flood.

“In my opinion the flood would never have taken place if the river bed was kept clear of debris and rubbish, which despite the disaster last week, if you go to the river in Ash Terrace, it is still full of debris and rubbish.

“The council have not offered any assistance following the flood despite advising us to vacate our property, we

In my opinion the flood would never have taken place if the river bed was kept clear of debris.

have not had any visits other than the environmental to finally determine the exact route and area of damage to the culvert.

“We are not financially well off and are very worried about how this is going to affect our future.” Donna and her husband chose to stay in their house after being advised to leave their home at 7.30pm on Thursday, August 1, due to the time of day, the fact that they have two dogs, Bandit and Casey, and a cat, Bailey, and claiming to have received no offer of alternative accommodation. She said one family chose to leave for one night but returned saying it had been a false alarm.

After receiving the letter on August 6 from the county council, Donna said: “We again took the decision to remain, as we questioned the urgency of the letters due two the delay in posting them out, and we were of the opinion that if our house would fall around our ears it would have already happened almost a week later.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Having assessed the situation in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council, whilst the risk is minimal when the brook is at a normal flow rate, the advice to the occupants of the immediately affected properties is to vacate. This impacts two houses and a business.

“The Environment Agency has mitigation measures in place to deal with the risk of flooding and to prevent further damage.”

A spokesperson for the county council said: “We spent a number of hours knocking on doors of homes which were in the affected area, explaining to people our reasons for asking them to evacuate. We were very confident that we had spoken to all the residents concerned, but backed this up with letters as an extra precaution to seven homes and one business.”

The statement continued: “Although the area that needs repairs falls on private land, the county council is going to pay for these repairs so the work can start as soon as possible and residents can feel reassured that the culvert is safe. The council will look to recoup the costs at a later date.” Donna Goodwin