WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Cathy]

If anyone is interested in bushfires have a look at cfs.sa.gov.au, we currently have 6 fires going in SA, one of them in Bangor (a grass fire) has been burning for 3wks.

[LizG]

Since my last post things have changed. Two out of the three fires close to them flared up again with today's wind and the "all OK" code was again upgraded to "watch and act". (better than yesterdays "stay and defend or leave immediately". The town is still evacuated. They are all exhausted from lack of sleep, and nerves I imagine, and she called tonight to ask for help. Den will leave about 4am to go and provide support; I've packed supplies because if she leaves to go anywhere to shop they won''t let her back. I'm just waiting for the corned beef to finish cooking and I'll go to bed. It will be an early start.

All somewhat worrying really. At least my grandson is safely away from the area although he'll start worrying about his Mum soon.

[David Whipp]

The fires sound very frightening.

We've missed the worst effects of the flooding, but the sudden frost last night after lots of rain has caused some problems.



This shows some of the ice at the mini-roundabout in Barlick this morning.

My complaints about the gulleys not working go back several months. Last year, they rebuilt some of the gulleys on Skipton Road, but the one nearest the roundabout hasn't taken water properly all winter. The last communication I had from LCC, they were going to set up traffic control and investigate...

(For the benefit of Tardis, I have several reference numbers including 1160351 and 1202477.)

[Tardis]

Nothing like doing the work right first time or within the parameters of their own laid down service criteria

Or are they trying to discover who The Green belongs to, so that they can charge appropriately for completing the work?

[LizG]

Riddell fire 11022014.jpg

This was taken this morning up the road from Steph's. She is luckier than some of her friends who have lost sheds and /or houses and their paddocks look like the photo.

[LizG]

Liz, I've been thinking about Victoria the last few days too. Glad to hear your daughter and friends (neighbours ?) are all OK. What an ordeal!
Will they continue to live on the property? Something like that and I would be packing my bags quick smart.

Sorry I missed this earlier. The property is Steph's business - an equestrian centre. They actually live in Melbourne; she is there every day and normally spends a couple of nights a week up there and the family all stay there on the weekend. She hasn't been home since last Friday. They will continue with the property, sadly most of the fires are deliberately lit.

[Stanley]

Richard, I understand about the rules and priorities, it's just that it is so unfair when a settled system like the Levels is sacrificed for the benefit of other areas downstream.
I'm enjoying my new electric kettle!
I get my free retinoscopy examination this morning.....
Funny how small domestic matters seem to come in bunches. I heard an alarm chirping yesterday so I went up and took the battery out of the smoke alarm. On the way downstairs the CO2 alarm in the front room chirped! So I had gone for the wrong one. I replaced the 3 AA batteries in the CO2 alarm and as the smoke alarm battery has a sell-by 2014 date I'll replace that as well.

[David Whipp]

Nothing like doing the work right first time or within the parameters of their own laid down service criteria

Whilst we're waiting for someone to come up with the perfect system (any ideas Tardis?), one of the things that councillors have to do is chase things to get done. This is particularly so with LCC.

Late yesterday evening, LCC put warning signs up for flood and ice at the mini-roundabout.

LCC emailed me yesterday to say they'll be jetting the road drains there tomorrow.

Yesterday's ice led to a spate of crashes; two cars ended up in the same ditch on the A59 near Dick Turpins after skidding on ice. Am told police attended many more crash scenes.

[Pluggy]

The A59 is a bit of a racetrack over there, I've driven over many times at the legal limit and been overtaken like I was stood still. Usually an Audi......

[Tizer]

I'm not sure I relish a future where the expertise of specialists is sacrificed at the alter of ignorance, PR and the noisiest. But if we must......Richard Broughton

Richard, in general I agree with you, and especially with your last sentence, above. It applies very well to tackling climate change too. But I will make a few specific comments.

The relationship with the Environment Agency (EA) in the Levels has always been a problem. We came to live in the Somerset Levels at about the same time the Agency took over responsibility for protection of the Levels drainage. We knew about the long-established managed flooding of the Levels and chose a house that would not be flooded unless there was a very large rise in sea level, something that wouldn't affect us in our lifetime even if we fail to slow climate change. Right from the start there was trouble with the Agency. Farmers had previously had a good relationship with the local drainage board - if their fields were unexpectedly flooded they got on the phone to the board and a man would come and sort it. Once the Agency took over, the farmers were dealing with a bureaucracy and all the frustration that goes with it. The Agency people might have had plenty of technical knowledge and experience but they were often not familiar with the special characteristics of the Levels, whereas the drainage board people where often born in the Somerset Levels, from longtime farming families who had lived with the specific problems.

The Agency also has different priorities and seems to be particularly beholden to the EU wildlife habitats directive and English Nature who have responsibility for ensuring implementation of that directive in England. The Agency has pursued a policy of not only protecting wildlife in the Levels but increasing the area of land devoted to wildlife rather than farming but in so doing has led to a situation where, ironically, the wildlife is being killed off by floods. The controlled, shallow winter flooding of the past was ideal for wetlands wildlife but the deep floods now taking place kill off both plants and animals. The floods of the 2012/13 winter killed off great numbers of wildfowl and drove away other wildlife and this winter's floods are even worse.

As far as the technical expertise is concerned, I agree that politicians themselves don't have it. But the EA isn't the only place where `hydrologists, flood hydrologists, flood engineers, risk management experts, geomorphologists etc etc reside'. There are many in universities, companies and other organisations, and others outside the UK such as those in The Netherlands who are currently helping here in the Levels.

[Tripps]

I keep thinking of the last lines of the poem -

So they tackled the job that couldn't be done
And couldn't do it

It seems to me there were a variety of solutions to the drainage problem of this area, but I doubt any could have coped with this extraordinary level of rainfall.

[hartley353]

Last night I watched an interview on one of the minor TV channels, the man being interviewed had worked a lifetime on control of water in the levels. He was adamant that had all the old processes been still in operation they would not have been able to prevent this level of flooding. What has amazed me is the number of new builds that have been shown in recent footage. Who has allowed this and why, were they just amassing cash cows.

[Tardis]

Nothing like doing the work right first time or within the parameters of their own laid down service criteria

Whilst we're waiting for someone to come up with the perfect system (any ideas Tardis?), one of the things that councillors have to do is chase things to get done. This is particularly so with LCC.

I've usually had a good response from LCC, generally within timescales, and always thanked them when they do something that I've reported as dysfunctional. They are good people in my experience, as usually are the contractors that get sent out. I have talked to many and even got some to do work not on their job sheets. Maybe the LCC system isn't perfect, but it does work.

I saw the operatives do the drain next to the school entrance as it was almost covered with turf and the grass needed cutting, they continued as far down as the drains on Dam Head Road after the original was reported. I even put pictures on twitter at the time.

As to ideas, I have lots, and most don't involve spending more money. I look forward to implementing them.

[PanBiker]

A question for Stanley here. A photo has just been posted on the Salterforth Heritage Facebook site showing a view from Salterforth by the park which shows two chimneys at County Brook Mill in the background. Do you know why it had two?

Salterforth Heritage Photo - Two Chimneys

[Stanley]

Not sure of my orientation but that terrace with the railings looks like the one where Salterforth Lane meets what is now the new road. If that's the case, the two stacks could be the one at the old brickworks below Park Close quarry and the other one would be the waterworks on High Lane.
The sad case of the 11month old girl mauled to death by a Pit Bull terrier called 'Killer'. (LINK)

[Thomo]

I believe that Stanley is correct on this one, and County Brook Mill is out of the picture to the left. The group of Men are sat where the War Memorial is now.

[Tizer]

Last night I watched an interview on one of the minor TV channels, the man being interviewed had worked a lifetime on control of water in the levels. He was adamant that had all the old processes been still in operation they would not have been able to prevent this level of flooding. What has amazed me is the number of new builds that have been shown in recent footage. Who has allowed this and why, were they just amassing cash cows.

He must be the odd one out then because in general people with that kind of experience are saying the opposite here. As for the new builds, the most prominent one in the Somerset Levels which everybody must have now seen on TV is the big fancy house which now has a bank built around it holding back the floodwaters. This belongs to one of the Notaro family who have a local building company and their headquarters is not far from the house. If I were building a house I wouldn't have put it where he has, no matter how much people might have said it wouldn't flood. I suspect they got the land cheap. There aren't many new builds in the Somerset Levels but I can imagine there are lots in the Thames Valley. There has been much recent (last 10 years) building of housing estates in Taunton and Bridgwater and they are on flood plains but haven't flooded so far. The EA say they advised the planners not to allow development on the flood plains but it always gets approval. Money speaks. To be fair though, if people come to work in this part of the country and don't want to commute great distances they haven't got much choice about living on a flood plain unless they are well off.

By the way, the flood water is now causing the M5 to break up - not what you want when much of the traffic is now hurtling along at 80-90 mph!

[Tardis]

It was a little cold up in Letcliffe Park yesterday, but a great crisp view over the town

[Tardis]

The Barlick Fell Runners have been promoted from division 4 to division 3, because of their current good performances

[Tizer]

I guess that as I write (about 5.00pm) Barlick is being battered by wind and rain. We had it down here this morning and it was quite dramatic. A tree came down on the A39, a very busy and fast trunk road, where it runs along the top of a ridge. It fell on an articulated lorry and the cab was smashed to bits but, amazingly, the driver escaped with only scratches. In our village one of the biggest trees was uprooted and laid flat, fortunately missing everything around it. It's one of half a dozen in the vicarage garden with Tree Preservation Orders on them and they're about 70 foot tall - but the TPO didn't stop the wind bringing it down and now it looks like a knocked-out boxer flat on the ground!

[Pluggy]

Yep, we got it - it blew me over.

[PanBiker]

Posted on facebook that two trees are down on Thornton drag. Fins dad just come through and he says they are not on the road.

[Stanley]

The wind peaked at 18:00 to 21:00 and it was a serious continuous 50mph + I reckon. That's a high wind for Barlick. Stove was pulling well!
Of course the flooding in the Levels would have happened even if the rivers had been dredged but the point is that it would not have been so bad because more water would have got away downstream.
Another pulse of Arctic air is attacking the US as far south as Florida, this is what is driving the jet stream and so no sign of a respite.

[David Whipp]

The traffic management people have put three way traffic lights up at the mini-roundabout so the blocked drains can be sorted out.

With all the emergency work needed on the roads, I suppose it's touch and go whether the gang clearing due to clear the drains will be tied up elsewhere.

(Wonder how your perfect system would cope, Tardis.)

[hartley353]

Two trees down in the woods this morning, the squirrels now have a large gap in their preferred arborial super highway. The car looks like a hedgehog there is so many leaf stalks stuck to it, but the new tiled roof seems to have taken all that was thrown at it. Voting for us this morning. A replacement has to be found for Paul Goggins who sadly died recently. The candidate who succeeds has some very large shoes to fill, Paul was a very special man,and an ultra special MP.