A Bruton man says the Environment Agency is worrying elderly residents unnecessarily after two false alarms.

Dr Colin Clark says the agency issued two flood warnings recently, sparking panic among residents – including an automatic telephone message to an elderly lady in her nineties. The warnings for the river Brue at Bruton were issued on October 3 and November 14, he says, adding: “In view of the fact that I designed part of the flood warning system, which would give two hours’ warning before the flood detention dam would be overtopped using a non-linear flow model for the upper Brue in 2005, and which was then adopted by the EA, I am not only disappointed but concerned that unnecessary stress is put on people who can well do without it.”

The New Blackmore Vale asked the Environment Agency for their response to Dr Clark’s accusations, but we did not receive a reply. Dr Clark added: “The EA say that the Bruton flood detention reservoir with an estimated storage volume of 700,000 cubic metres will fill up and overflow with a volume of rain of 270,000 cubic metres. Clearly, someone in the EA needs to have a lesson in basic arithmetic and more important, hydrometeorology and a responsible and caring attitude to the people they are supposed to look after.”

“Some 24 years ago I wrote a report on the dam being under-designed and unsafe and that the flood warning system at the time was inadequate, having led to false warnings. Although the dam was increased in height and given an erosion proof spillway it took me nine years to get them to accept the situation.”

He added: “A considerable slice of taxpayer’s money is spent on the EA and it is about time they did their job with competence. There is still a potential design fault with the dam which I have been monitoring for over three decades.”

“If anyone gets a flood warning in the future they are free to telephone me on 01749 813513 to ask if it is a valid one. We have a tipping bucket rain gauge and an emergency bucket gauge which has been calibrated and can be interrogated any time of the day or night.
It is more accurate than radar as explained to an audience at Oxford a few years ago and published as part of a scientific research paper.”

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