“The public will not keep being fobbed off with lame excuses and false promises”

Fishlake village has not flooded for almost 80 years. In 2007, when the water overflowed the Don banks on both sides, some fields between Stainforth and Fishlake flooded (no water reached the village), the water overflowing on the east side of the River Don ran into the Stainforth/Keadby canal (which is between the river and Stainforth village), and moved along the canal down to the River Trent at Keadby.

A few houses in Stainforth got water in them but this was due to blocked and poorly maintained drainage systems.

No actual river water got into Stainforth.

The politicians keep spouting about the millions of pounds given for flood defences since 2007.

There have been NO flood defence improvements on the west side of the River Don at Fishlake.

The above is the reason Fishlake was flooded in November 2019.

The east side had a wall built more than three feet above the height of the west bank, completed 2009-10 (hence in 2019 Fishlake got the lot).

The Environment Agency keeps saying dredging does no good. Now I’m no Einstein but if you have a trench that is 12 feet by 6ft and another which is 12ft by 12ft, even I can work out which will carry the most water.

The River Don used to be dredged continuously from one end to the other in our area and the banks never topped.

I believe it was stopped in 1970 to save money.

I have heard that the European Water Framework Directive, introduced in 2000, now prevents it from being carried out. Well, now we are out of the EU can we have some action to protect our properties and lives?

We don’t want any preferential treatment, just equality and a right to the same protection as others.

I have been preaching the above message since 2009. I sent it to David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, DEFRA, EA, Doncaster Council and the Mayor of Doncaster.

Since the bank on the east side was heightened and nothing done on the west side, it was inevitable.

I received numerous letters on House of Commons writing paper acknowledging receipt of my letters, and nothing has been done, because they don’t listen to the people.

A lot of MPs have been sacked and a lot of people who thought they were untouchable have lost their jobs, so bear in mind the public will not keep being fobbed off with lame excuses and false promises.