MP secures top level meeting in bid to stem Fylde floods tide

He is to discuss the area’s flooding bissues with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustace to discuss the area’s flooding issues in a bid to avoid a repeat of the havoc caused on several occasions in recent years, most recently just last month.

Mr Menzies spoke in a Parliamentary DEFRA Questions session before hosting a meeting between flood authorities in Fylde to investigate flooding in areas including Wrea Green, Warton, Kirkham, Lytham, Freckleton and Staining.

In the Parliamentary session, Mr Menzies said: “In recent years, ministers have worked with me on the multi-million pound Dock Road pumping station and the £17.4m Church Scar Sea Defences in Fylde.

“We now need that same level of focus to address the considerable amount of inland flooding in parts of Fylde.

“Will ministers meet with me to discuss how we tackle this challenge?”

Mr Eustace replied: “I’m more than happy to meet my honourable friend to discuss these issues.”

“Since 2010, the Government has invested £181m in flood defences in Lancashire to better protect 37,000 homes, and over the next two years plans to invest a further £21.6m to support inland, fluvial and coastal defence schemes to better protect 5,000 homes.”

Following the Secretary of State’s promise of a meeting, Mr Menzies hosted a conference including representatives of Fylde and Lancashire County Councils, the Environment Agency and United Utilities to discuss specific areas of concern in Fylde.

The MP said: “I was pleased to hear that full investigations have been launched into several areas of flooding, particularly in Warton, Wrea Green and Freckleton – however there is much work to be done.

“We cannot have a situation where people’s homes are being flooded time and time again.

“It is simply not acceptable and all of the agencies must work together to protect residents.

“When I persuaded the Government to fund the Dock Road Pumping Station at the east end of Lytham, the situation appeared to improve on a great deal of farmland – we must now press on further with that work.

“What is evident is that these issues are not solely down to one factor.

“In Wrea Green we have issues with the size of pipes, with blocked drains and with a lack of capacity in what is an ageing system – I have been assured these matters are all being explored, including meetings sought with farmers to use some of their land to create buffer zones in times of high rain in future.

“In Freckleton there is an investigation into the flooding we saw in August, with checks being carried out on Pool Stream and culverts in the area, including one which runs underneath BAE Systems’ runway.

“Many of the issues lie with the topography of Fylde – its flat nature which makes it more difficult to move water to outfalls on the River Ribble, and the impact high tides have on those outfalls.”

Along with several homes being flooded in the storms of last month, roads across Fylde were closed for a time by localised flooding, including the A584 Lytham Road, Lodge Lane, Lower Lane, Kirkham Road and Hillock Lane, all at Freckleton.

Roads around Treales in rural Fylde were also badly affected as were homes off Blackpool Road, Kirkham.