Action call as residents in Wainfleet fear more floods to come

Three residents were flooded and 100 advised to evacuate when the aftermath of Storm Babet saw the River Steeping ovetop after a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours.

Since then, according to the Wainfleet Flood Action Group (FLAG), high levels of water have remained at Salem Bridge for over a week – and with Storm Ciarán heading for the UK and the Met Office predicting more heavy showers, people say they are worried.

More than 70 people crowded into the function room at the Woolpack pub, with some standing in the doorway, on Saturday to agree an action plan.

In a heated debate, they said they felt let down after promises made at a public meeting following the 2019 floods when MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman gave a ‘flat-out apology’ and said “ Wainfleet could become a ‘flagship’ of modern flood defences with 10s of millions of pounds injected into it”.

Stewart Peltell, of FLAG, said the number of people who turned out for the meeting, compared to 15 We need the after the 2019 floods, showed how much people are worried.

"We need the EA to get the management of the river right and get all the silt out and look at why we are getting flooded on a regular basis,” he said. “We know global warming is happening. we know we are getting these storms.

"They (the EA)are blaming that and they have to do something to alleviate it.

"We need the dredging work finishing and the dredging that has been done cutting down to the level it was when the river was built so it can do the job it is designed to do.”

As well as everyone sending regular emails to the MP Matt Warman and the EA , a resident also offered to start a petition individually.

Jean and Kevin Hart, whose home was flooded for the second time after Storm Babet, were also at the meeting.

"We have to demand the EA do what they are paid to do,” said Jean. “We cannot carry on like this.

“ If I think it’s going to rain I can’t get to sleep.”

MP Matt Warman, who came in for crticism for not attending the meeting, told Lincolnshire World he had met several flood victims on Friday, and would happily meet more.

“As I said to them, the EA clearly have some very serious questions to answer,” he said. “Although the amount of rain was enormous, their maintenance should have been better in many places.

"The precautionary evacuation of many houses was a sensible move, and the flooding of some clearly needs to be explained, especially in places such as Hagnaby Lock and Stickford.”Since 2019, he said he had helped deliver the Barrier in Boston and significant investment into Wainfleet and across the constituency.

" I'll always be on the side of residents. I should add I wasn't asked to attend the meeting on Saturday but would happily have done so. The EA will rightly be held to account either way.”