The flooded town unsure it will ever be defended

Here are some numbers for you...

Three - the depth of flood water, in feet, inside a fishmonger's shop in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire.

Two - how long, in weeks, it took to clean up.

Thirty-five - the shop's distance, in metres, from a burst brook.

Eight million - in pounds, the low-end of a funding shortfall to protect the storm-battered town.

Thirteen million - the funding shortfall's high-end.

Then there is the number that no-one seems to know... the date when work on flood defences will begin.

And amid the uncertainty comes fear of the unknown - what happens if the water returns?

What follows is an account of life on the ground, weeks on from November's Storm Bert and the toll it took.

Right now in Tenbury, the focus of frustration is a collapsed wall on Market Street, and that it is yet to be rebuilt, although it is not the only subject of debate.

When Storm Bert hit, the wall was ruptured by the sheer force of floodwater in the Kyre Brook.

The resulting surge damaged businesses and other properties.

"We had nearly three feet of water in the shop… which took us nearly two weeks to clean up," said fishmonger Angela Preece.

Trapped inside after the wall's collapse, she had to be rescued in a boat by firefighters.

As for uncertainty over when things will be put right, she said: "It's ridiculous.

"We are facing an unknown number of months where nothing's being done."

Richard Sharman, owner of Garlands florists, whose building sits next to the Kyre Brook, said of the wall."It needs to be rebuilt… [but] still nothing, just a few sandbags there."

He said the wall's collapse had caused enormous damage to local shops, costing his company at least £6,000.

A repeat of Storm Bert would make him seriously consider shutting the business.

"Mentally, it's a strain," he said. "Financially, it's a huge strain.

"And the rest of Market Street, if you look now, [it's just] empty shops; people not returning."

Further storms have brought further flood warnings, but more than ten weeks on, the repair of the wall has yet to start.

A low barrier of white sandbags is all that separates Kyre Brook from the road.

Work to rebuild the wall had been due to begin on 20 January, but was halted.

"We had contractors in place… but we've been told we can't go ahead until we have a permit to do so from the Environment Agency (EA)," said county councillor David Chambers, who represents the Tenbury Wells area.

"Have the EA provided us with a permit? No. When are they going to provide one? Well, your guess is as good as mine."

The EA said it was working with partners to support the potential rebuilding.

Worcestershire County Council said it would press ahead on a “like for like” structure, as soon as a permit was obtained.

“The new wall, being freshly constructed using modern materials will inevitably be stronger,” said Emma Stoke, the authority’s cabinet member for environment.

Yet confidence it will happen is low. Frustration has reached such a point that at a public meeting on Monday night, several residents suggested crowdfunding to rebuild the wall themselves.

And with the wall not the full extent of infrastructure yet to be delivered, Mr Chambers has accused the EA of letting down the town.

Following severe flooding caused by Storm Dennis in February 2020, the government announced £4.9m would be spent developing a flood defence scheme to protect all of Tenbury's town centre.

Over the last four years, the EA has developed a complex design, including flood walls, embankments and 20 flood gates.

However, delivery of the project is currently paused, as it faces a funding gap of between £8m and £13m.

The EA insists it is continuing to seek additional funding.

But Mr Chambers said: "I think we've come to a stage where the Environment Agency are of the opinion that the scheme itself is too difficult to do.

"Three years ago the cost of the scheme was £6.4m, now they tell us the cost is between £25m and £30m. What's it going to be this time next year for goodness' sake?"

He added: "I think they've behaved appallingly. I think the Environment Agency has let this town down… we just want some straight answers."

An EA spokesperson said the agency was continuing to seek the additional funding required for delivery of a scheme at Tenbury Wells, which it said would reduce flood risk for both residents and businesses.

In reality, the only likely source of extra funding is from the government.

On Wednesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was setting aside £140m to invest in 31 flood defence projects that had stalled.

It said a full list of schemes that would benefit would be announced in the coming months.

Since opening her shop last September, fishmonger Angela Preece said she had been flooded twice.

For her, the pause on flood defence work comes as no surprise.

"I don't think the flood defences will ever happen."

"Traders are distraught. How many more times can you be flooded and pick yourself up and carry on?" she said.

"The fear is that the town will just turn into a ghost town."

Since Storm Bert, several shops and businesses in the town centre have closed.

"That's unacceptable," said Mr Chambers, "because if that continues it's going to destroy one of the best market towns in Worcestershire.

"If the flood defences don't go ahead, I think people in the town like me would be quite happy… to have the money which the Environment Agency has secured - £17.2m – to spend on individual properties."

Florist Mr Sharman said: "Give that money to all the businesses in the town, or a proportion of it.

"So we can individually use that money and defend [our] business."

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