New Forest coastal communities call for more help to tackle severe flooding

COASTAL communities are asking for more help to protect their homes in the aftermath of severe recent flooding.

Homes and gardens were flooded with waste water and sewage in Keyhaven after a pumping station in Lymore Lane failed when heavy rain combined with a powercut. In Undershore Road in Lymington, residents whose homes were flooding said they were told they would have to collect their own sandbags from a New Forest District Council depot in Lymington.

One pensioner, who asked not to be named, said as water poured into her home she was unable to get any help from NFDC, Hampshire County Council, the Environment Agency or the Highways Agency. Blocked drains on a road near her property were exacerbating the flooding but no one was able to tell her who was responsible for clearing them.

She said: “Everyone was very sympathetic but sadly not at all helpful. NFDC said if I needed sandbags I could collect from their depot. There is no way I could lift a sandbag. Luckily a neighbour came to my rescue and helped.”

Elsewhere in Keyhaven, a recent storm led to several hours of sewage overflow in a number of areas, in particular at the east end of Keyhaven Village Green from where it flowed into an internationally protected conservation area.

In a letter to Southern Water, Milford parish clerk Graham Wells wrote: “As you will know, Keyhaven pumping station has a generator to supply power when the mains fails – it is then supposed to start automatically.

“Your records will show that sometimes it starts, and sometimes it doesn't. When it does start, it sometimes runs out of fuel. It should be noted that power cuts are frequent in Keyhaven, which lies at the end of a single line power supply.”

Keyhaven has seen regular flooding for many years but the situation has worsened since 2014, said Mr Wells, when a new pumping station was installed in Grebe Close in Milford, together with holding tanks in the fields between Milford and Keyhaven.

He added: “This new pumping station keeps the Grebe Close area satisfactory in times of heavy load, but only at the cost of additional overflows in Keyhaven – because it keeps on pumping even when Keyhaven's pump is dead, which it frequently is.”

Turning to a recent flood, residents reported the power went off at 8am and within an hour it began overflowing because the backup generator had again failed to start. A number of residents contacted Southern Water to report the problem and were advised the fault had not been picked up.

Mr Wells revealed: “Later in the morning several Southern Water personnel arrived, and were kind and concerned, but not equipped to start the generator.

“Presently, with the generator still dead, the mains power came back on shortly after noon, and a little while after that, the overflows subsided.”

“Homeowners then had to hose down as best they could – including trying to clear their stopcock holes, into which the sewage had flooded.”

“This is just the latest in a very long string of failures.”

The A&T has asked Southern Water for comment.