Chesterfield Needs Flood Defences Urgently

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 10th Jul 2007

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday Liberal Democrat MP for Chesterfield, Paul Holmes said:

"Three rivers flooded in Chesterfield-the Rother, the Hipper and the Whitting. Between them, they closed three of the six main roads into town, and affected 60 businesses and up to 1,000 houses.

It is all very well talking about clearing up after the event but the Rivers Rother, Hipper and Whitting all have a track record of flooding over the last century and prevention is better than cure.

The defensive works on the River Rother are planned to start in 2011 and the feasibility study for the River Hipper is drawn up but with no date attached to it.

Will the Minister assure me that she will be lobbying her colleagues in Government to make sure that money for these planned preventive works are brought forward, otherwise we will be back in a few years, going through the same story?"

Speaking after the debate Paul Holmes MP added:

If the Government do not bring forward the funding for these vital schemes then we will be back here in the next year or two going over the same old ground after another flood." Paul also thanked John Healey, the Minister for Local Government for visiting Chesterfield last Friday to view the damage.