Town tops flood protection list

BARNSTAPLE has been moved to the top of the priority list for flood prevention schemes in Devon in response to the ‘worst flood event’ in the last decade last summer.

The torrential rain on August 17, 2020, left parts of the town under as much as 3ft of water reported in places, while traffic came to a standstill as floodwater made the town impassable.

People from basement flats were rescued by fire crews, several having been made temporarily homeless by the flooding, with more than 100 properties, including the town’s Queens Theatre, having been damaged.

The flooding, which was Devon’s worst flood event in a single location since 2010, saw 118 residential and 46 commercial properties flooded, and Devon County Council has subsequently amended the list of highest priority communities in the local flood strategy to include Barnstaple.

A study is already underway to investigate the risk and consider what surface water improvements could be developed, Devon County Council’s cabinet heard last Friday, with Barnstaple joining Exeter, Kingsbridge, Tiverton and Dawlish as ‘high priority’ areas where schemes need to address the risk of surface-water flooding.