7:25pm Monday 23rd November 2009
By Ben Ellery
A RIVERBANK in Abingdon has been strengthened with hundreds of tonnes of rock to cut the risk of flooding.
About 260 tonnes of limestone have been packed into wire baskets and used to fortify the banks of the Thames upstream of Abingdon Lock.
Currents along the river had caused parts of the bank to collapse, and homes upstream were flooded in 2007.
Jed Ramsay of the Environment Agency, has been co-ordinating the town’s flood strategy since 2007.
He said: “As we have seen in Cumbria, an area can be devastated after just a few inches of rain, and people in Abingdon know that better than most.
“The improvements include widening the channel and dredging, which will see a benefit upstream, where much of the flooding took place in 2007.
“It was a very rare amount of rain back then, but we have done all we can to make sure the residents of Abingdon don’t have to suffer like that again.”
More than 600 homes were flooded in the town in 2007.
The work involved a gang of eight Envronment Agency staff stabalising a 100 metre stretch of the riverbank over four months. Over time, vegetation is expected to grow around the defences, providing a home for river creatures.
Mr Ramsay said the risk of the River Stert flooding was also being reduced with the removal of trees.
Other work along the Thames included installing 24-hour mooring points, and upgrading the footpath to create a safer walkway.
Mr Ramsay added: “We hope local people and boaters will benefit from a safer and more user-friendly part of the river.”
Abingdon town councillor, Samantha Bowring, of Turberville Close, Abingdon, had her home flooded with 28cm of water in 2007. She said: “Any work that is done to our waterways is good news, although we’re more likely to suffer with the River Ock and the Stert.
“I really feel for the people in Cumbria. I know what they’ve been through. It was tough for us too and we’re still waiting for the money from the insurance companies.”
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