Repairs still not complete, six months after Boston flood

BBC News

6 hours ago

Six months on from serious flooding in Lincolnshire, residents say they are continuing to face severe disruption. Thirty-six homes in Boston were flooded internally on the night of 6 January when the South Forty Foot Drain overtopped, with many suffering extensive damage on the ground floor. Residents claimed the flooding would not have been as extreme if a nearby Environment Agency pumping station, considered too expensive to repair fully after being damaged in a tidal surge in 2013, had been working. The Agency said record rainfall caused the flood and a functioning pumping station would not have reduced the impact.
Kelly Saunby, a mother of four young children, is one of at least a dozen residents waiting for repair work on their homes to be completed. "I have got holes in the back door, we did have rats coming in the house. There are exposed wires and there is dust everywhere in the kitchen," she said. The entire ground floor of Ms Saunby's home was flooded. "It's extremely disruptive and I work nights as well and when I come home I can't even sleep as I've got builders here from seven in the morning until late at night," she said.
Some residents are continuing to live upstairs as repairs continue on the ground floor. Glenn Parsons moved into his bedroom on 6 January and is waiting for new lounge furniture to arrive. "It's been a nightmare. It's been very cramped," he said. "My wife and I have only been able to sit on the bed because we lost all the furniture downstairs."Mr Parsons said he was concerned of the threat of more flooding causing further damage to newly refurbished properties."It's a waiting game. It's horrible to be in this situation, to have lost everything. You don't want it to happen again," he said.
The flooding in Boston came during a period of exceptionally heavy rain which saw more than 200 properties flooded across Greater Lincolnshire. For the first time in its history, East Midlands Ambulance Service declared a critical incident due to flooding.The Environment Agency said it had seen record river levels due to heavy rain, melting snow, and frozen ground run-off.However, there was criticism of The Environment Agency and its approach to maintaining flood defences and dredging rivers.
An Environment Agency investigation into Boston's January floods concluded flood water had both overtopped and seeped through local river defences. The Agency said it planned to improve flood defences and warning systems for the local community. However, its report said: "The Environment Agency recognises that while steps can be taken to improve resilience, flood risk cannot be eliminated. Future flooding events may exceed design standards for defences."
Ms Saunby said she and her neighbours were "seriously concerned" about what the winter rainfall could bring. A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We understand the local community's concern about flooding. "Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of flooding events due to rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns."'Everybody is worried," Ms Saunby added. "If you come back to a brand new refurbished house, with new kitchens and bathrooms, could we be flooded again? We have no idea."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.