Garff calls for action after Laxey flood report

'We want timescales now', say commissioners

Garff Commissioners have welcomed the findings of a report into the Laxey floods, which devastated over 60 properties last year.

However, the authority's chairman hopes the Manx government will now act to address the problems highlighted.

The independent report conducted by engineering consultants Arup, examines the events that led to major flood damage along the village's Glen Road.

Ten areas for improvement were identified which included a call for greater priority to be placed on flood management Island-wide and a review into its funding.

After it was released last week, Jamie Smith says the report was 'excellent' and that it 'vindicated the chief minister's request'.

But he now hopes this is last of 'feasibility studies and strategy reports' into the flood risk of the area.

'We really want some timescales now', he said.

'Some proposed dates of what's going to be done by when, so we can then call them to task on progress against those dates.

'We understand that not everything's going to be done straight away, it'll probably be phased, but nor do we want it to be piecemeal.'

Mr Smith believes flood management for Laxey needs a 'Flooding Tsar - a 'strong coordinator' who acts across all departments.

The report highlights a lack of communication which 'led residents to question their trust in the government agencies', with one reccommendation calling for the formation of statutory flood board.

It asks whether the sharing of leadership across three government departments is 'consistent with good practice for dealing with the priorities of flood risk in a public facing manner.'

Having a single point of contact would have its value, according to Mr Smith.

'Both residents and commissioners have contacted different departments, and tend to feel they've been shuttled around and that's a problem.

As a result of the floods, 62 properties were damaged with owners either refused insurance or given quotes for unaffordable premiums.

Mr Smith says it's a problem felt by residents in the whole Laxey area and not just along Glen Road.

'Now the issue is insurance and I think we're heading towards requesting that government work with insurance companies and possibly underwrite flooding risk', he said.

The Arup document addresses this by recommending that Treasury 'investigates the continuing access to and affordability of Flood Insurance.

Glen Road resident Ashlyn Creer says she's 'one of the lucky ones' having been able to return to her home earlier in the year.

She has called the findings a 'tickbox exercise'.

'It's another report that Manx Utilities is involved in, but the chief minister has assured me that the 10 recommendations will be implemented in full.

'But I want to know when. I want to know why we have no work going on at the river at the moment.

'It's [the river] the lowest it's been for a very long time, there's still so much to do. We need to see men on the street, doing the work.

'We can't get through another winter with the same fears again that our homes are in danger. '
Ms Creer says she's 'been banging the drum for years about the river not being safe' but has got 'nowhere.'

'It's taken this catastrophic event for them to sit up and realise there's a major problem here.

'They really have to learn lessons from this now, they can't allow it to happen again.