The Jubilee River and the LTFRMS - independent e-mag.
This independent e-mag was initially created to expose and highlight Environment Agency incompetence and failure on the £110m Jubilee River flood alleviation project in Datchet with £5m in repair costs, a £2.75m out-of-court settlement and still unable to carry its design capacity. I now reveal the facts and the truth about sub-standard flood defences nationwide, flood defence failures, neglect of watercourse maintenance (thus increasing the probability of flooding), property insurance difficulties, continuing development on flood plain and related matters of national significance (especially responsibility without accountability) and finally the Environment Agency culture of 'smug arrogance' and neglect of 'duty of care' and their shortage of both engineering and mathematical expertise. Unfortunately in my opinion the Environment Agency can no longer be trusted to serve the nation and is not 'fit for purpose.' Having failed to maintain both the Thames and the Jubilee River, the Environment Agency is now planning to spend another £300m of public money on the Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Strategy. The question here is whether the Environment Agency is spending our money on a cost-effective solution?
Over 2,340,000 hits here since October 2006
'It would be very embarrassing to all concerned.......... and any deficiency in capacity would bring wide-spread – and justified – criticism. '(P Ackers - 1992 MWEFAS Public Inquiry - extract)
26/5/10 - WANTED - Information about blocked and polluted watercourse please!
Jubilee River - MAP (EA) 163Kb.pdf
What's wrong with the Jubilee River?
Jubilee River 'a monument to EA skills shortage'
The'Big Society' speech by PM David Cameron
Dr P Leinster's (EA Chief Exec) remuneration (2008/9) = £202,967
Asset value of English flood defences = not less than £30bn
13/7/10 - Anne McIntosh MP asks about implementing EU Directive 2007/60/EC (Hansard)
9/7/10 - Cuts put £14.9m flood defence work in doubt (Oxford Times)
Environment Agency to be reviewed (Hansard)
Flood Risk Regulations 2009 - European Commission starts legal proceedings....
Explanatory memorandum to the FLOOD RISK REGULATIONS 2009 No. 3042(260kB.pdf)
25/1/10 - The Slough Weir saga exposed
FRR2009 - a warning to lead local flood authorities....
The first preliminary assessment maps and the first preliminary assessment reports for each river basin district must be published before 22nd December 2011 - then further information by December 2013 and 2015.
Caroline Spelman MP for Meriden, Secretary of State
for Environment
e-mail: spelmanc@parliament.uk
Flood and Water Management Act 2010
'In my opinion this new legislation (FRR 2009 and FWMB 2010)
could have done more to ensure that watercourses were properly maintained
- thus reducing the probability of flooding' (Ewan Larcombe).
Do you live near a raised reservoir or dam?
Defra Consultation: Ministerial direction for reservoir flood plans
Do you live in an area liable to flood?
Please see - Ewan's Simplified Guide to the new Flood Risk Regulations 2009 No 3042
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to protect our canals by not selling off property owned by British waterways. Submitted by Ian Rees – Deadline to sign up by: 19 November 2010 – http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/protectourcanals/
Lords call to revoke the Flood Risk Regulations 2009
The Flood Risk Regulations 2009 No. 3042 - in force 10/12/2009
Two interesting stories (complete with pictures) that could easily have been fatal:
River Hull Flood Action Group and contact details
“We know the Jubilee River works, there is no question about it. Nonetheless, the Atkins reviews do raise important concerns that the Environment Agency is addressing with urgency.” (Chris Birks - EA Thames region director - August 2004)
The EA empire builders continue to give excuses and deny responsibility for flooding, yet demand more money, power and influence without being accountable to the people who pay their wages! Some of the EA are the nicest, most helpful people that you could ever want to meet, but there are others that are smug, arrogant and complacent and I have no confidence that these office-bound button pushers (tied by flawed policies, hindered with conflicts of interest and supported by the longest list of excuses that you have ever seen ) are capable of doing the right job right, or supporting the national interest. I do hope that a new Government will soon take a long hard look at the EA (Ewan Larcombe - a personal view)
1/9/10 - Explanatory memorandum to the FLOOD RISK REGULATIONS 2009 No. 3042(260kB.pdf)
31/8/10 - Draft strategy for skills and capacity building in LA's for local FRM (Defra)
27/8/10 - Angry residents demand answers about dead fish
Thames Water last week admitted it released a toxic flood of blue-green algae into the water.
21/8/10 - Read Ian Tomes response to 'Algae at Slough Weir'
17/8/10 - Algae in the Jubilee River - August 2010 and still a problem at Slough Weir
17/8/10 - Myrke flood bank continues to degrade
15/8/10 - Defra plan to sell off nature reserves risks 'austerity countryside' (Guardian)
(The Environment Agency previously attempted to sell off the Thames lock keepers cottages in April 2008 - so what next?)
9/8/10 - Revised response form to Morpeth Insurance Conference - 2/10/2010
9/8/10 - Myrke Ditch - A letter from Ian Tomes (Flood Risk Manager - South East)
7/8/10 - Thames River levels now available on-line.
6/8/10 - Wraysbury Drain - Water gone!
6/8/10 - Datchet Common Brook at Horton Road (EA responsibility) un-maintained!!!
5/8/10 - Datchet Common Brook (Main River - EA responsibility) un-maintained!!!!!
5/8/10 - Myrke Ditch (Main River - EA responsibility) polluted and un-maintained!!!
4/8/10 - The'Big Society' speech by PM David Cameron
7/7/10 - Three former Labour MPs and a Tory peer have started an appeal against a ruling that they should stand trial over their expenses.
11/2/10 - Elliot Morley says he is being denied 'natural justice' (Telegraph)
5/2/10 - Elliot Morley MP to face criminal charges
5/2/10 - Elliot Morley and the 'blame game' (Hansard -March 2003) From the archive!
Eurostar
Independent Review (February
12, 2010)
