Flood warning system bid for river to protect homes

Residents raised concerns about the lack of warning at a series of meetings staged by the Environment Agency.

Officials will also update flood maps after recording people's experiences.

Officers are already working on a 1 million maintenance programme to widen a 270-metre-long bank on the Houghton washlands upstream of Darfield.

Some 250 people attended five drop-in sessions organised by Barnsley Council in Bolton upon Dearne, Darfield, Darton, Wombwell and Lundwood.

They were told that intense rainfall caused the Dearne Washlands, which are used to store water in a flood, to fill up.

Once full, rivers including the Dove and the Dearne breached their banks.

Environment Agency area flood risk manager Peter Holmes said: "It was a busy week and the information which residents gave us was invaluable.

"This information will be used to build up a better picture of the flooding in specific locations, and although we cannot stop the problem altogether, we are continually adding to our understanding of flooding in Barnsley which helps us to consider improvements for people in the area."

Steve Jagger, who led the recovery operations for Barnsley Council, said: "In addition to the river valley flooding, the council is examining issues that affected other areas of the borough, causing damage to a further 150 homes, mainly through local dykes and watercourses being unable to cope with the excessive rainfall.

"We will also follow up the issues raised by the community with the various agencies and work with them to try and examine options to alleviate problems in the future."

The Environment Agency has powers to provide flood protection from main rivers. It has gauges on many main rivers across Yorkshire which help officers to monitor water levels and the likelihood of flooding.

The rights and responsibilities of owners of property or land next to a watercourse are explained in an Environment Agency booklet called Living on the Edge.

This is available to download from www.environment-agency.gov.uk or by ringing 0845 9881188.