A recent history of our flooding
Why are you worried the scheme won't get built?
We're worried because we've seen other smaller projects stall even after money has been spent on them. Tenbury Wells had its scheme cancelled after decades in the pipeline. The solution has been identified but it is only partially funded, which will not provide the level of protection that is desperately needed.
How are you funded?
Shrewsbury Quarry FLAG is run by volunteers, whereas Flooded People UK is funded by a number of foundations including National Lottery and environmental charities.
Is this only about the Severn?
We are part of a national community of flooded people campaigning for change and will stand together until we are all protected.
You live on a river, should you not expect to be flooded?
No, and certainly not this often. Shrewsbury alone has flooded dozens of times in the last five years. This is not normal and is way beyond anything anyone could have expected or be expected to live with.
Are there not others ways to protect homes?
Tackle the root cause, not the symptom. No, many of us have tried everything. It is important to push back against the false idea that we can simply live with repeated flooding or put doors on houses that keep the water out. That doesn't work.
FAQ:
What we are worried about
At last, after many years of suffering, there is a proposed scheme to mitigate flooding called SVWMS. But the government is refusing to fund it. Instead, they are opting for a completely uncertain process that means we are unlikely to get real protection.
What needs to happen
In order to protect communities across the Severn Valley, it has been estimated that around 100 billion litres need to be stored, the equivalent to of 40,000 Olympic swimming pools.
These numbers have gone up in the last year – initially the estimation was 26,000 Olympic swimming pools = 65 billion litres.
The plan is to use different measures to do this, including land management, nature-based solutions, and engineered flood storage areas. Some of those interventions are relatively inexpensive, i.e. nature-based solutions, but on their own, they will not provide the level of protection that is needed. Remember – 100 billion litres or 40,000 Olympic swimming pools!
What we are worried about
The normal way for flood defences to get built is with government grants. But, despite multiple billions of pounds in flood defence investment pledged, the government will not invest in protecting the Severn Valley.
Instead, it wants to fund this by getting private investors to invest in nature credits. There is no guarantee that this will work, nor is there any guarantee that it will fund the full scheme.
We are worried that we will get strung along for decades without ever knowing whether we will stop flooding, that many of us will be dead before anything gets built.
Our message to Rachel Reeves: please don't sacrifice us
We need a firm commitment that we will get protection from chronic flooding. The SVWMS is the only beacon of hope for people that have flooded for years along the Severn Valley corridor.
The time is NOW.
We need a firm commitment that SVWMS will be built!
The problem
We are flooding chronically
All along the Severn Valley, communities are suffering from repeated flooding. We seem to be permanently at threat of flooding. People and businesses are struggling to get insurance. This is no way to live!
The government has been proposing a way to protect us: the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme. But it has not given a firm commitment that it will be built!
The solution is at hand
The scheme is intended to hold back the equivalent of 57 Wembley Stadiums’ worth of water in the upper catchment using a range of methods. However, while the government is pressing ahead with the cheaper Natural Flood Management interventions, it is now saying it will not fund the entire scheme. Instead, it expects private investment to cover the remaining costs. If the other essential components of the project are not implemented at the same time, the overall scheme may deliver little of the protection it promises. We need firm guarantees about what our future will look like, and we need them as soon as possible.
Who we are
Shrewsbury Quarry FLAG
We are a group of residents impacted by flooding, leading the campaign.
Flooded People UK
We are a national charity dedicated to supporting flooded people.
You?
We need to build a wide coalition all across the Severn Valley!
