FLOODING – WHAT   CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? 

Witney Town Councillor Andrew Prosser was out in Witney shifting sandbags and helping with the emergency caused by the flooding over Christmas and January.

Andrew is looking at local solutions to improve the flow, including better clearance under the bridge, as well as more effective emergency planning.

He has also called for a halt to any new development which increases the risk of surface water flooding or that will contribute extra pressure on already overloaded drainage and treatment systems. But there is a much more comprehensive and rational way to address the problem of flooding, which examines its causes upstream.

Trees, better planting and other natural flood solutions can soak up and slow down much more water upstream, reducing the threat of flooding to Witney’s residents, as well as enhancing the natural beauty and biodiversity of the river basin. 

There is no single solution - but much can be done.

As Town Councillor for Witney North, Andrew has called for community control over management of the river and its water resources.

Through the Windrush Catchment Partnership, which includes Thames Water and the Environment Agency, he is pushing for joined-up action.

One of the main causes of the shocking discharge of raw sewage into the Windrush is that too much floodwater is getting into the sewage treatment plant due to an inefficient drainage system.

Andrew is calling for a new sewage treatment works, fit for the 21st century.