Assurance sought on flood scheme; Change in government may see cuts.

Byline: Dave Black 

CAMPAIGNERS in a flood-threatened market town are to seek reassurances from senior Conservative politicians that a change of government will not sink plans for a vital pounds 15m defence scheme.

People in Morpeth want to see the flood alleviation scheme carried out as soon as possible, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the September 2008 catastrophe which saw 1,000 homes and businesses flooded by the swollen River Wansbeck. The Environment Agency says the project remains its top priority for funding in the North East - but now Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy has voiced fears it could be hit by a tight squeeze on public spending if the Conservatives win the next general election.

Now the Morpeth Flood Action Group (MFAG) - which was set up in the wake of last year's incident - says it will be seeking a commitment from senior Tory MPs they will not axe the scheme as part of any cuts in capital spending.

Yesterday MFAG chairman, Alan Bell, said: "There is genuine concern a change of Government next year could threaten the scheme, and we are in the process of trying to get reassurances about it from shadow ministers.

"The Conservatives have clearly said they will look seriously at capital expenditure so there is obviously a concern. Because the decision on funding for our flood alleviation scheme will be made next summer, it could be prone to being cut. We have to make the politicians recognise that every time it rains heavily a large proportion of the Morpeth population panics."

Mr Murphy - who recently met Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith to stress the importance of the scheme going ahead - said: "It is vitally important the people of Morpeth know before the general election if they are going to be voting for a party that won't give them these flood defences.

"Both David Cameron and George Osborne have said a lot of pain is going to be dished out and there will be cuts in public spending. Sadly for Morpeth, it is not in the Tories' heartland and this scheme might be seen as an easy cut.

"I am genuinely concerned and have asked the Flood Action Group to seek reassurance from Mr Osborne himself that he will commit to this scheme if it is agreed before the election."

Yesterday Coun Peter Jackson, leader of the Conservative group on the county council, said shadow floods minister Anne McIntosh had given an assurance the Morpeth scheme would be a 'very high priority' in the party's future funding plans.

"Both Labour and the Conservatives have said that public spending is going to be under pressure, although where that pressure comes might differ. Conservative spending plans will seek to protect essential services so, from any point of view, climate change and investing against future flooding would be an obvious priority," he added.

COST OF FLOODS THE costs involved in a household being flooded are far higher than the losses incurred by burglary or fire, the Environment Agency warns today. But far fewer people have taken steps to protect their homes against flooding than against the other threats.

The average cost of a home flooding is pounds 28,000, compared to pounds 7,300 losses from fire damage and just over pounds 1,000 for a burglary.

Despite the figures, a YouGov survey of almost 2,000 people last month found that only 6% of households have taken steps to prepare for flooding, compared to 80% who have installed fire prevention measures and 54% who had attempted to safeguard their home against burglary.

Environment Agency director of flood and coastal risk, Robert Runcie, said: "Many people don't even know whether or not they are at flood risk.

"We can't always stop flooding but we can take a few simple steps to be better prepared and reduce the impact."

The agency is urging people to prepare themselves for the possibility of flooding by checking its website to see if they are at risk, and signing up to its free flood warning service. It says people should also check that their home insurance covers flood damage, prepare a flood checklist for use in an emergency and find out how to limit damage to their property by making their home flood resilient.

CAPTION(S):

WORRY Residents of Morpeth don't want more scenes like this.