To receive the above verbal update.

Ben Crampin presented an update which covered an overview of the flood investigations in the last quarter, an update on some projects and work on Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

In the last quarter (August-October 2023), the weather had been much dryer with less rainfall; as a result, there had been a decrease in the number of Total Drainage Cases compared to the previous quarter. This, Ben Crampin stated, provided the Flood Team a chance to “catch [their] breath” for a brief period compared to the high number of cases earlier in the year. Some of the themes which were identified over the year relating to these cases included an increase of surface water highway flooding. As a result of this, there were many cases whereby highway systems were acting as catchments, whereby water would flow to a low point and then overwhelm the existing systems.

The RBWM Flood Team had been working closely with VolkerHighways in addressing the issues throughout 2023, such as blocked drainage systems and gullies. In addition, it was also identified that there were areas in which the system worked well but it was prone to collecting a lot of surface water from highways, which then posed a risk to property. From this, the RBWM Flood Team was ensuring that property floods were being recorded into a new Property Flood Database so that it could start bidding for money towards, for example, Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) to investigate any scheme which could be implemented to reduce flood risks. The evidence being collected from these investigations would allow the Flood Team to be able to determine the areas which required work and then to move onto some flood mitigation schemes.

Moving onto the DHEFIM short-term measures, starting with the Datchet Barrell Arch, Ben Crampin reported that the contractors notified him that most of the work had been completed, though he was waiting for the reporting from them to confirm the completion of the maintenance work before taking the next steps. He expected a report on the removal of siltation, including CCTV surveys of the system following the silt removal. The report would also identify any areas for other necessary remedial works or any structural issues, which would then be forwarded to the relevant stakeholders (e.g., National Highways, landowners etc.) or the Flood Team. Ben Crampin then offered to catch up with Parish Councillor Ian Thompson on the report once the former had reviewed the information.

ACTION: Ben Crampin to catch-up with Parish Councillor Ian Thompson on the contractors’ report on the Datchet Barrell Arch.

On the Wraysbury Drain, Ben Crampin reported that he had investigated the issue, which included reviewing planning application to see if there was any recorded detail of the downstream areas to identify what enforcement (if any) was possible and appropriate. In addition, Ben Crampin conducted an on-site inspection where the Wraysbury and Horton drains split and towards Douglas Road Bridge and publicly accessible points at the Splash and Windsor Road. He discovered that there was water present in the Wraysbury Drain up to approximately Douglas Road (where the water levels started to decrease) but was dry.

The next steps were to understand what was in the watercourse along those points and interact with nearby residents to, for example, investigate private gardens. The Flood Team had been inhibited from conducting these next steps due to the rainfalls throughout 2023 and the Flood Team needing to do its statutory duty of investigating flooding issues.

Ben Crampin then moved onto the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) update, a major objective in 2024. He explained that the LFRMS was a statutory document which outlined how the Borough was going to manage local flood risk. As it was last updated/published in 2014, Ben Crampin was keen to give the Strategy a revamp to ensure it was in line with the relevant strategies, notably the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (last published in 2020), as well as bring it in line with the Borough’s priorities.

Ben Crampin highlighted that the LFRMS would primarily focus on local flood risks, such as flooding from local water courses, surface water and groundwater flooding; and that there was no requirement for the Strategy to include flooding from the River Thames and fluvial flooding. While the LFRMS would not include management of fluvial flooding, it would nevertheless include some elements which would cross over between RBWM and the EA, such as cooperation with, for example, Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures (DHEFIM) and other schemes.

Ben Crampin then outlined what the new Strategy would include:

•       The objectives for managing local flood risk (including any objectives included in the authority's flood risk management plan prepared in accordance with the Flood Risk Regulations 2009),

•       The measures proposed to achieve those objectives,

•       How and when the measures were expected to be implemented,

•       The costs and benefits of those measures, and how they were to be paid for,

•       The assessment of local flood risk for the purpose of the strategy,

•       How and when the strategy was to be reviewed,

•       How the strategy would contribute to the achievement of wider environmental objectives.

Ben Crampin added that the Flood Team would be working with internal Borough teams, its external partners (e.g., Environment Agency and Thames Water) as well as local communities and parish councils to receive their input.

Ben Crampin sought to have the LFRMS as a multi-agency document by including various Borough departments (i.e., other RBWM teams), stakeholders (e.g., Borough Councillors, community groups), organisations (i.e., the EA and Thames Water) and authorities (i.e., Parish Councils) as part of its creation. This was to ensure that the Strategy (and therefore flood mitigation in general) would encompass various individuals and organisations within the Borough rather than exclusively RBWM itself.

Ben Crampin informed that the Flood Team were planning to do some engagement with the parishes and communities in two stages. The first stage would confirm the flooding issues and flooding areas, which would likely be reviewed by a couple of ‘drop-in sessions’ with one possibly located in Windsor and another in Maidenhead. The second stage would have more targeted consultations, with roadshows across the Borough presenting the draft principles and draft objectives of the Strategy as well as receive feedback.

Ben Crampin then concluded his presentation with useful contact information:

·       Threat to life – call 999.

·       Flooding to the highway, call RBWM Highways – 01628 683800.

o   Sewers and foul water, call Thames Water – 0800 316 9800.

o   Main river watercourse, call the Environment Agency – 0345 988 1188.

·       Non-urgent enquiries but flood related: flooding.enquiries@rbwm.gov.uk

·       RBWM Out od Hours Emergency Duty – 01753 853517 (CCTV)

·       RBWM in hours Duty Emergency Planning Officer – 01635 503535

·       RBWM Emergency Planning email – Emergency.Planning@RBWM.gov.uk

Emily Merritt, Emergency Planning Officer, then gave some updates from the Emergency Planning Team. She informed that she had sent out invitations for the annual upcoming flood wardens meeting at the end of November 2023. She requested that she or Laurence Ellis be notified if any flood wardens had not received the invitation and that they then forward their details.

Emily Merritt then reported that there was a large multi-agency exercise was arranged by the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum around flooding on 4^th October 2023. The aim of the exercise was to test the multi-agency flood plan and the emergency response arrangements. It also provided an opportunity to test internal adverse weather plans and adjourning flood and storm annexes. In line with this exercise, at the start of November 2023, RBWM were conducting an internal exercise which would test its internal arrangement, such as its emergency operation centre, how the Borough would be managed, and how this would feed into the multi-agency environment. As a result of this, any learning from the multi-agency and internal exercises would be fed into internal plans, which would be updated as necessary to improve responses to flooding incidents.

The Chair suggested that Emily Merritt should write to all the Parish Councils (particularly the clerks) who could then contact the flood wardens or forward their details of the flood wardens to ensure they were engaged. He suggested to write to the clerks of the parishes. Emily Merritt informed that the Emergency Planning Team had a database of the flood wardens which covered most (but likely not all) the parishes; but she nevertheless agreed to contact the Parish Councils in regard to the flood wardens.

ACTION: Emily Merritt to contact the clerks of Parish Councils in regard to the flood wardens.

Dick Scarff, Chair of the Cookham Society, asked Ben Crampin about the EA-published surface water flooding maps, namely the current situation with the maps and whether they were modified by RBWM or were only the basic data in which the EA produced. Ben Crampin answered that it was likely the EA had produced the basic data. While RBWM was able to submit updates to the data set, it was not a standard practice, usually happening when maintenance works were done in an area and modelling was conducted as a result of this. If RBWM were to conduct some modelling for a specific area (in contrast to national modelling), they would submit this to the EA to incorporate this data. However, due to the costs, this was not a general practice.

Ben Crampin also added that the national modelling was being updated. Brianne Vally elaborated that the update would not only encompass surface water flooding but also river flooding where detailed modelling was not available. She believed that the data was probably 10-to-15 years old, with data for areas upstream of the catchments needing significant updating. Fortunately, Brianne Vally stated, the lower Thames was one of the most intensely modelled part of the country.

Brianne Vally then offered to provide an in-depth update on NaFRA2 (National Flood Risk Assessment). The Chair suggested this could be shared with Dick Scarff.

ACTION: Brianne Vally to forward an update to Dick Scarff on NaFRA2 (National Flood Risk Assessment).

Dick Scarff then asked about the progress on the plans for the surface water drainage in Cookham. Ben Crampin replied that a map had been prepared and he would forward this tomorrow.

ACTION: Ben Crampin to forward the map for the surface water drainage in Cookham to Dick Scarff.

Dick Scarff then asked about a report which was presented to the Flood Liaison Group about the flood management at Battlemead Common in January 2021. Ben Crampin replied that he was aware of the conversations, but it was mostly Jason Mills, Natural Environment Manager.

Councillor Larcombe commented that when he was on the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), he was sent to other meetings, representing Wokingham, West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest, Hampshire, Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Sussex. He then asked if Ben Crampin was going to meetings in which he or anyone was not invited to. Ben Crampin replied that the meetings had not taken place as far as he was aware. He stated that he been speaking with his main contact for Thames advisors from the Thames RFCC, Alistair Wilkinson; discussing with him on reinstate those meetings. He stated that he would ensure that Councillor Larcombe was included in those meetings.

ACTION: Ben Crampin to ensure that Councillor Larcombe was included in the county partnership meetings.