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Floods (South Wales)
12.30 pm
Mr. Huw Edwards (Monmouth): Wales has a reputation for rain, but the rain that fell between 21 and 23 October and during the following week was exceptional. Compared to the horrific and unimaginable effects of Hurricane Mitch in central America, our experience was relatively mild, but what happened may be related to the increasing incidence of severe weather, which is attributed to the climatic change caused by global warming.
The aim of the debate is to reflect the concerns of people who were directly affected in those floods, to consider the role of the public services, and to call on the Welsh Office to review the readiness and capacity to respond to incidents of serious flooding in the context of global climatic change.
On the morning of 23 October, I saw in my constituency the effects of the worst floods that south Wales has experienced since 1979, when 7,500 properties were affected. Some would say that the floods were the worst since 1945. The Environment Agency interim report on the October floods states that 500 homes in Wales were flooded; rainfall generally exceeded 150 mm, or 6 in; and in certain locations, such as Treherbert in the Rhondda valley, up to 9 in of rainfall was recorded.
The worst-affected areas have been Merthyr Vale and Aberfan, where residents reported a "surge of clean water" from the Afon Taff, which flooded 160 properties in a few minutes; Pontypridd was flooded by the Taff and Rhondda rivers; Porth, New Tredegar and Ystrad Mynach were affected; in Llandovery, the Afon Bran flooded 155 properties; in Pencoed, near Bridgend, 61 properties were affected; in Aberdulais, 17 properties were flooded; and in the Vale of Glamorgan, about 30 properties were flooded as a result of the level of the River Thaw, and there was widespread disruption to traffic.
Mr. John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan):
The extent of the damage due to flooding in Vale of Glamorgan as portrayed in the Environment Agency's interim report greatly understates the damage that was caused. It is a miracle that no one was killed in my constituency. One old-age pensioner--Mrs. Jennings of Ham Manor Park--waded almost neck deep in flood water, late on the Saturday night. There was total confusion about who my constituents could turn to, and who is responsible in such situations. Should my hon. Friend call for an inquiry, I would support him.
Mr. Edwards:
My hon. Friend makes a valid point on behalf of his constituents. What he says adds force to the argument that there should be an independent inquiry into these floods.
I visited homes that were flooded near Abergavenny.
Mr. Paul Keetch (Hereford):
I would echo the call for an inquiry, because not only south Wales was affected by the floods. Herefordshire and the borders were severely affected; indeed, in Herefordshire, one person died in the flooding. Hon. Members will want to commemorate that, and send their condolences to that farmer's family.
May I ask the hon. Gentleman two questions? He mentioned environmental changes. Two physical changes have been cited--certainly in Herefordshire--in respect
of the problems of the recent flooding. One is that Welsh Water allegedly opened the sluice gates from reservoirs to release pressure, which caused a surge. That allegation has been denied by Welsh Water, but it has been constantly repeated, and he will have heard it.
The second change to be cited is that, because of the problems associated with agriculture, there have been changes in farming practice, most notably stopping cattle grazing near river edges, which has led to the planting of potatoes. That has caused an increase in topsoil going into rivers, which is silting them up. Will the hon. Gentleman comment on that?
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Michael Lord):
Order. I remind all hon. Members that this a brief debate. Time is precious.
Mr. Edwards:
The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point on behalf of his constituents. The whole House will express its condolences to the family of his constituent who lost his life during the floods. I understand that the issue relating to sluice gates may be mentioned by the Minister in his response.
In respect of the homes that I visited near Abergavenny, there was dispute about whether red warnings were issued in time. I met residents in Usk whose homes had been flooded in Llanbadoc. The homes that I visited had been flooded as a result of the failure of the drainage system to cope with the flooding, not because of the River Usk bursting its banks. Despite warnings that there would be a major incident in Usk, that was prevented as a result of the investment in flood defences introduced since 1979.
At a farm near Glangwryne near my constituency, I saw dozens of sheep that had been drowned. Near Usk, more than 40 cattle were reported to have been swept into a flooded river, but, miraculously, all survived. Farmers have experienced a depressing time in recent years, but these incidents have tested to the limit their commitment to farming. As the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) said, at least one farmer lost his life trying to save livestock.
Following the floods, roads were damaged and rendered impassable; drains were blocked, which caused further flooding; wide areas of farmland and open space were transformed into lakes; on the A4042 at Llanellen, near Abergavenny, the River Usk broke its banks with such rapidity that vehicles were stranded, and some drivers and passengers in lorries and cars were rescued in the dead of night.
I have no doubt that, without the efficient and heroic actions of the police and fire services, there could have been serious tragedies. I pay tribute to the retained fire service crew at Abergavenny fire station, which answered numerous calls for assistance during the night. Many of those retained fire officers would have already done a day's work in their normal place of occupation, and may have had to go to work afterwards as well.
South Wales fire services responded to 320 calls about flooding in Gwent alone, and Gwent police placed considerable resources into a gold command at police headquarters in Cwmbran. I also commend the work of Monmouthshire county council and the Environment Agency in my area, and the many individuals who gave their time to assist their neighbours. In Usk, the town council reported problems in the provision of sandbags,
and properties prone to flooding were not protected. Concern has also been expressed about the provision of water pumps and dehumidifier equipment, and about whose responsibility it is to provide such equipment.
The following weekend, some properties were flooded in Monmouth town as a result of the dangerous rise in the level of the River Wye, but more widespread flooding was prevented by the flood prevention measures to which I have referred. As the Environment Agency has stated, a key outcome of success is the absence of a flooding incident. Such outcomes are, by definition, unmeasurable.
In recent weeks, we have seen the horrifying effects of the hurricane and the flooding in central America. The apparent worsening of weather conditions has raised many questions about the impact of climate change caused by global warming. The latest findings from the United Kingdom Hadley centre on the changing face of the United Kingdom's weather do not bring good news.
Temperatures are rising. The average global temperature in 1998 is likely to exceed that of 1997, which is the hottest on record. Rainfall will increase during the winter and autumn across the United Kingdom, especially in the north-west and Wales. Consequently, it is predicted that we will experience an increase in climatic extremes such as greater risk of flooding. Although the Government are taking a leading role in the world in addressing the threat of climate change, this evidence shows that the events in south Wales are likely to recur.
Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):
I am not certain whether the Territorial Army was involved in dealing with the floods in Monmouth and the rest of south Wales, but would not the hon. Gentleman concede that, in general, the armed services, including the TA, become involved when such emergencies happen, and that that is one reason why we should be cautious about reductions in the TA, such as that announced yesterday by the Secretary of State for Defence?
Mr. Edwards:
I assure the hon. Gentleman that I will discuss the Army and the TA later in my speech.
Following the Easter floods, which affected mainly Northamptonshire, but also Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, the Government established an independent inquiry. I have written to the Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, Central (Mr. Jones), to ask for an independent inquiry into the recent floods, and I am disappointed that, in his parliamentary answer, he has rejected my request.
I ask him to reconsider, and to conduct a general review into flooding in Wales. The review could assess the preparation for climatic changes that seem to affect our country and other nations more frequently; whether our public services are equipped and prepared for civil emergencies such as major flooding, as occurred in south Wales recently and in Towyn in north Wales a few years ago; progress in establishing automatic warning systems; whether the powers of local authorities with respect to flooding should be reviewed and whether local authorities are adequately resourced to deal with flood emergencies; and what role the regular Army or Territorial Army can play in civil emergencies such as flooding.
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