A CLOUD of fear which has been hanging over a market town hit by a flooding catastrophe should be lifted with the news that a vital £21m flood defence upgrade is to go ahead, a Government minister has said.
Yesterday, floods minister Richard Benyon said campaigners and townspeople in Morpeth, Northumberland, should feel a sense of pride in the way in which their community has reacted to the September 2008 incident, in which 1,000 homes and businesses were flooded when the River Wansbeck burst its banks.
He said local people had channeled the huge “anger and distress” felt at the time in a positive way, which had ensured that the town’s stalled flood alleviation scheme was not allowed to sink.
During a visit to Morpeth yesterday Mr Benyon confirmed that the project – which was due to start last December but was delayed because of Government spending cuts – will now go ahead, subject to final approval by the Environment Agency on Thursday .
It has been revived thanks to a pledge of up to £12m in capital funding from the county council, which helped secure a Government grant of £11.9m under new partnership finance arrangements.
Yesterday Mr Benyon met officials of the Morpeth Flood Action Group, the Environment Agency, Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery and council leader Jeff Reid – and spoke of how impressed he has been with the town’s determination to see the scheme go ahead.
He was shown around the High Stanners area where the river burst its banks and deluged scores of homes and businesses in the worst flooding in the town’s history.
Mr Benyon, a minister at Defra, said: “I hope that the people of Morpeth are delighted, as I am, that the fear over future flooding is now lifting. They will want to see the work done as quickly as possible so that they can get on with their lives in what is a wonderful town.
“We are delighted that the scheme is going ahead and Morpeth should be very proud, because it is something this community deserves and needs. What happened in 2008 here must have been a horrific experience, but the community has channeled its distress and anger in such a productive way, and that is why the scheme is going ahead.
“I cannot think of a community that has lobbied me more than this one, and now there is a positive outcome.”
