Shropshire Council came to Ludlow yesterday to help with the clean up operation. At least 30 homes are flooded. Many businesses also.
From mid-morning, highways crews were collecting furniture, fridges, carpets and other debris from Temeside.
At an on-site meeting with Shropshire Council leader Peter Nutting and chief executive Clive Wright yesterday lunchtime we agreed that skips would be delivered to Lower Corve Street and Temeside. We need skips to help people who are flooded out. We need skips to prevent a rat infestation as the food in fridges and freezers goes rotten.
Our meeting was attended by me, Viv Parry, Mayor Tim Gill, Peter Nutting, Clive Wright and Andy Wilde from highways. We were accompanied by Joanne Gallacher from BBC Radio Shropshire. I am expecting her interviews and recordings to be broadcast during the breakfast programme between 6am and 9am this morning.
Our party was unable to visit Lower Corve Street as we ran out of time. We are not the only town to flood. Shrewsbury was very bad yesterday with the town centre almost inaccessible to vehicles. Bridgnorth is being hit today. Outside of the Shropshire Council area, Ironbridge is under significant threat. And then it goes downstream.
While we were touring the town, Shropshire Council had a team cleaning out gullies and scrubbing roads and pavements. This is vital. Storm Dennis washed debris into drains. With more heavy rain expected later this week, that could lead to more local flooding if the drains are blocked.
Could non-flooded town residents be asked to offer their help from organised meting points? I’m no longer in Ludlow since vision started to fail, otherwise I’d be ready to come forward. My heart’s with you all.
When can we expect fridges /freezers to be removed today , 19th Feb, from Lower Corve St.? Please.
What is the regular gulley emptying schedule.. how often is it done?
According to the particulars of Ludlow estate agents trying to sell properties in high-risk flood areas, the rivers (for which also read gulleys) takes place regularly, following the collapse of Coronation Bridge in 2007.
All help is very welcome and gladly received, I’m sure. But for those of us who lived through the 2007 and 2008 floods in lower Corve Street, Shropshire Council’s response compares poorly with the speed and efficiency of the SSDC as it was then. I remember Mark who was head of SSDC cleaning services out there very early next morning following the flood, cheerfully commiserating with residents whilst coordinating those burly Biffa guys who entered ours homes to remove carpets, freezers and any other item, all as requested – swiftly and seamlessly without fuss. SSDC also supplied a very large walk-in skip which remained in place for residents’ use – and sandbags galore.
What a difference 13 years and a sea-change in council management makes – Unitary, detached, less effective, more costly.