General Chat

We've got a capped well in the road outside our house. When the dustbin van's rear wheel went down it about 25 years ago, it was known as the "Jesus Christ" Well as that's what all the council and utility workers said when they came to inspect it.

Fingers crossed that the spring which feeds it doesn't wash away the infill :-(

Think how important springs were to previous generations.

Sharron. Often, cottages are named Spring Cottage and we have Springfield and in Wales Ty Ffynnon and Maes y Ffynnon. And you often wonder why they were named thus.

At least we now know :-( :-(

Nothing worse than a damp mattress is there?

Blaming breaking springs. Now there is anew one!

My matress has got a few broken springs in it :-( They're not nice to lie on. I think it's time for a new one ;-)

.There is an intermittent line of springs along the road round the corner.

I have seen the odd few running over the years but never as many as have broken through this year

Ramble out and swim back Jude.
I really hope the water doesn't actually reach your door.

Apart from all the stress and tragedy the floods have caused people what hope do they ever have of moving from their present homes. Nobody will want to buy them and insurance cover could be so expensive that some may not be able to afford to pay it.

Thanks Ann.

Had various flood warnings now and resident flood rep has been to give us info on what to do etc. Have rung vic and he will get back asap but is in the middle of no where walking...!!
Will probably go to sisters tonight.
l'm beginning to worry now
jude

Glad the truth about flood defences and dredging is finally out!!
My urge to throw something at the TV/radio (only held back as I don't want to clear up a broken TV) every time that overbearingly smug Cameron blamed the Environment Agency has subsided.
The situation was explained to me by a friend who works for the Environment Agency. Apparently, at the start of the flooding the head of the Agency - not Lord Smith, I mean someone who knows what they are talking about - wanted to make a statement, but Cameron wouldn't let them. I wonder why? :-P :-P

he has to go - no choice - either voluntarily or forced

hot water bottles in the bed ready for you Jude :-D

I have to admit that Eric Pickles is probably the only government ministers that I have any respect for. To be honest I was actually quite surprised when he admitted the government got it wrong when they ignored pressure over the past 3 years to dredge rivers in areas susceptible to flooding - and that he apologised unreservedly for this.

The reason it surprised me was, that it was only on Friday past, that the Prime Minister on his visit to the Somerset Levels, tried to put all the blame for the flooding on the last Labour government and the Environment Agency.

I wonder if the Prime Minister will now put his head above the parapet wall and apologise unreservedly, and ask Lord Smith the Chairman of the Environment Agency and Owen Paterson the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - To Resign?

Water is much closer our f/door this morning. l am sorting things to move higher and packing suit case!! Vic is out on a bl--dy ramble...lol

jude

:-D :-D :-D

and to think that twit Chris Smith - Lord Smith - my ****, visited the bird sanctuary first when he arrived at the Somerset levels - what an idiot - he should resign toute suite

My wife, children and I have been sitting upstairs in our Somerset home, totally cut off from the outside world, with the downstairs flooded for the last five weeks.

Today the Red Cross pulled up outside in a boat. "Thank God!" I shouted. "Have you come to save us?" "No," they replied. "We're collecting donations for Syria."

(C&P from elsewhere. Worth a smile at least!)

just watched Eric Pickles being interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan on Sky - well impressed with the man who always seems to be viewed as a figure of fun presumably because of his size - how refreshing to hear his sensible views on the flooding situation - I shall look on him in a much different light in future

I note a couple of the people who have posted on this thread have referred to new house building.

I have to say that I believe the planning that goes into new housing schemes leaves much to be desired and as a result of bad planning controls - flooding has occurred.

For example, you have a village of a few hundred houses, someone decides it would be a good idea to build a new housing development of 1,000 houses a couple of miles up the road from that village, however to often they fail to make adequate provision for the drainage needed to cope with the increased sewage and waste water from the new development and expect the existing drainage system that was designed for a village of few hundred houses to cope.

During prolonged spells of heavy rain the existing drainage system quickly becomes overloaded and the result is floods occur :-(

Interesting article in the Western Evening News - To Dredge or not to Dredge.

http://tinyurl.com/kllnhy5

Also an insight into what might happen to the Somerset Levels if we stopped trying to fight nature - doesn't sound too good an idea either.

...and don't forget the old reservoirs that were drained and built on - hence the hosepipe bans.
Those reservoirs were built where they were built because water settled there.
It's about time governments/local councils/builders stopped trying to fight nature. She's a lady with attitude - they'll never win!

AnnCardiff what a lovely gesture. :-D :-D

One of the fields near here that is under water is where a local builder wants to build part of a 1000 house estate. A couple of years ago protests stopped the planning go through as people said it was on the flood plain and would cause houses further in to flood. Now theya re trying for it again with the call to build more houses. I wonder if the latest flood will have any impact.