David Meyer: February 2005 -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 2/1/2005
Last Visited: 4/16/2006
Mike Dunning of the Environment Agency's regional press office confirmed that the homes do not qualify for flood defence funding from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) due to their supposed mobility.
He also cited other problems: "We have looked closely at instituting flood defences," he said today."But because the site sits on reclaimed land you could not just put a flood wall in because the water would just come up through the ground behind the wall.
"It is uneconomic to put in this structure."
However, Mr Dunning pointed out that the Environment Agency had surveyed the site since the 2002 floods and advised residents that they would qualify for insurance if they raised their homes above the height of that flooding.He said several residents had already accomplished this.
He also claimed that some residents "aren't very keen on the idea of a wall as it would spoil their view."