http://www.chaussuresmagasins.comThey claimed warnings about blocked drains, overgrown soakaways and farming methods on the hilly council-owned land above their homes in Bevendean Valley had been ignored for years.
There was also anger at the council’s response to the flooding, with some house owners claiming council officials helped only council tenants.
There were stories of rooms swamped by 2ft of mud, people afraid to go to sleep in case their homes flooded, and children who were frightened to go home because they feared floods would return
There was anger at Alan McCarthy, Brighton and Hove’s director of environment and housing, and Richard Butler, the council’s estates manager.
Mr McCarthy accepted there was a need to look at farming practices on some of the council owned farmland and promised immediate action to deal with drainage problems.
But he said the priority was to continue to pump the remaining flood waters away.
He defended the council’s response to the flooding and distributed a leaflet explaining the 11 points of action taken by the council to deal with the Bevendean floods.
Residents condemned farmers for the vertical ploughing of the land, which they alleged was partly responsible for sending thousands of gallons of muddy water into their homes.
Kemp Town MP Des Turner said: “If the land had not been farmed in that way then we would not have had the mud slurry.”
He and Geoffrey Theobald, Tory opposition leader on the council, were applauded as they demanded action to ensure flooding in Bevendean did not
recur.
Ian Fitzgerald of Bodiam Close said: “We have had politicians and council officials coming to look at the situation after there has been flooding in the area over the past years.
“Each time I have told them the way the fields are farmed is a disaster waiting to happen.
“How long will it be before something is done? Some soakaways have not been cleared in 20 years.”
Gwyneth Wells, of Heath Hill Avenue, said: “I phoned 25 times to try and get help from the council and when I finally got through a girl told me, ‘You have got your problems, we have got worse’.”
There was anger from the audience when Mr McCarthy said some residents were mentioning problems the council had no record of.
Bob Baxter said he moved into Leybourne Road 40 years ago.
He said: “It has been in the lap of the gods that we have not had serious flooding,Anger on flood estate The Argus. Drains and soakaways are not cleared properly because this is a forgotten estate.”http://pumpascher.chaussurespaschere.info
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