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Cheltenham Liberal DemocratsCampaigning to win with Martin Horwood |
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MPS SPELL OUT EFFECT OF CRISIS
December 8, 2007 7:00 PM
County MPs hope a Government flooding inquiry will force authorities to take responsibility for the summer crisis.The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee will take evidence from Gloucestershire MPs at a hearing next week.
The MPs are invited to give presentations on how the crisis affected their constituencies and what they believe needs to be done to lessen the impact of floods.
Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood said: "The Government needs to sort out who is responsible - not just for the rivers, but the kind of things that cause flash floods.
"They need to look at who's responsible for culverts and drainage.
"To say it's the householders' responsibility is not living in the real world."
Mr Horwood said he hoped more pressure would be applied to Severn Trent in a bid to get it to pay compensation to those who suffered from the water shortage in July.
"Yes, the floods were beyond their control, but the protection of the Mythe water treatment works was not," he said.
The committee is made up of 14 MPs, including Stroud MP David Drew.
It has already held four "evidence sessions" with stakeholders including the Environment Agency and Severn Trent.
Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson said building houses on floodplains would be one of his main issues.
"I hope they will learn lessons on where to build houses - that's one of the most important aspects of this inquiry," he said.
"Determining responsibility is important too because now it's a complete mess.
"I want to see who is responsible for what and some responsibility taken."
Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown will join Mr Horwood and Mr Robertson at the Wednesday session.
From the Gloucestershire Echo www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk
8th December 2007
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