Thame residents evacuated after flooding

RESIDENTS in Cedar Crescent, Thame, have today been counting the cost of yesterday’s torrential rain.
Four elderly and retired people had to be evacuated when water from the Cuttlebrook nature reserve that backs onto their homes, flooded into their gardens and then into their bungalows.

Widower, Roy Clements said he felt devastated after the flood waters entered his home for the second time in six months. Carpets and most of the furniture thoughout his and his three neighbours homes are ruined and it is expected to be several weeks before they can move back in.
Residents say that flooding has increased since the building of all the new houses in the area, which is on the flood plain.
“A ditch was dug to help carry water away after heavy rain, but as far as I can see, its only made matters worse,” said Roy.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said that she had written to the town council several times about having a ditch behind their garden fence, cleared but were told that no body would accept responsibility for it. She and her late husband, she said, eventually cleared the ditch themselves a few years ago.

This afternoon the town clerk, Helen Stewart, told ThameNews.Net that the town council does take responsibility for the ditch behind these properties and ealier in the year did clear out all the debris.
She confirmed that she is in contact with the district council, the Environment Agency and the county council to see what, if anything could have been done to prevent yesterday’s flooding and what can be done to stop it happening in the future.

Apparently, there is a system of one-way flaps at one end of the Cuttlebrook itself, which is supposed to stop water flowing back but it seems that the rain was so torrential that they were unable to cope with the sheer volume of water.

Today, the affected residents await the arrival of Insurance assessors and one widowed lady said that she fears she will be unable to sell her bungalow when the time comes for her to move.

Photo: The view from Roy Clements’s window this afternoon, showing his garden still under around 10″ of water 24 hrs after the flood that ruined carpets and furniture in his bungalow.