Sir – I have just received two publications about flooding in West Oxford. The principal agency involved in their publication is the Environment Agency, who are charged, and funded by Parliament, with defending us against floods.Your readers will be pleased to know and I quote from the publication: “The Environment Agency will give the public at least two hours’ warning of any local main river overtopping its bank or flooding properties”.

 

All of these publications are full of flood mapping, flood advice, flood maps, flood warnings, but very little about flood defence.

 

Buried in the small print is a website address for the House of Commons’ Select Committee report on the last floods. I looked it up and found to no surprise that the Select Committee major recommendation was as follows: “Regular work to dredge and keep  rivers can be essential flood prevention measures — the importance of regular maintenance must be put on equal footing with building new defences.”

 

I challenge any of your readers to come and inspect the condition of all of the main river streams that criss-cross the Botley Road, namely Osney Ditch, Bullstake Stream, and the Seacourt Stream. All are silted up, clogged with trees and vegetation, and all need dredging. Yet the Agency, whose main depot is based in Osney, have completely neglected these streams and intend to ignore the recommendations of Parliament, and will instead content themselves with warning us about floods. What a shambles!

 

John Power, Oxford