Groundwater flooding exhibition to be staged in South West
2 Jun 2014 04:01 PM
A joint exhibition aimed
at people and communities who have been affected by groundwater flooding is
being staged by the Environment Agency together with Dorset, Wiltshire and
Hampshire Councils.
The Agency and the various
councils have joined forces to host the event on Saturday, 7 June between 10am
and 4pm at the City Hall, Malthouse Lane, Salisbury,
Wiltshire.
The exhibition is part of a
series of drop-in events that the various organisation have been hosting over
the last couple of months. More than 100 people attended a previous event in
Salisbury.
Feedback from the earlier events
suggest people would like more information about the practical ways in which
they can protect their homes and to assist people who are applying for the
Government funded ‘Repair and Resilience Grant’. Staff from the
Environment Agency and local councils will be attending and giving more
information about these grants.
There will be more than a dozen
suppliers and consultants in attendance offering a broad spectrum of services
from advice on engineering through to supply of flood protection equipment
including pumps and barriers.
Guy Parker for the Environment
Agency said:
We are working closely with the
local authorities and other partners to ensure people are fully aware of the
flooding risk from groundwater and can get advice to reduce that risk.
Groundwater flooding does represent a significant hazard and groundwater
conditions can also exacerbate surface flooding,’
A major risk from groundwater
flooding is that it does not always appear where it might be expected, rising
up through cellars and floors rather than coming in through doors. It can also
cause a problem with drains and sewers where they are
overwhelmed.
Cllr Peter Finney, Dorset County
Council Cabinet member for environment and economy, said:
It is important that people who
have been affected by flooding have access to support and advice to help
prevent or reduce flooding in the future. We are working partnership with The
Environment Agency and local communities to find practical ways for residents
to protect their properties. I encourage anyone who thinks that groundwater
flooding could be an issue to go along and find out more.
Residents can check flood
warnings at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood or the Environment
Agency’s live flood warning map at
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods
They can also call Floodline on
0345 9881188 to get the latest information.