West Berkshire Council probe after 'unexpected' areas flooded

A council has said it will investigate recent flooding in "unexpected" areas.

Incidents previously reported in west Berkshire in January included the closure of the rail line through Newbury and flooding around the Kennet, Lambourn and Pang Rivers.

West Berkshire Council will issue Section 19 notices to investigate flooding more closely, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority did not name the areas where flooding had not been predicted.

Councillor Stuart Gourley, in charge of climate change issues, said: "We've been preparing for these floods for some time, prior to the arrival of Storm Henk.

"This time round we have had flooding in areas that we haven't expected, so we have had to be flexible and adapt to the changing situation.

"We've been... checking our drainage and flood defence infrastructure, removing debris from our roads, putting in road closures and working with our communities."

On Friday and Saturday, the rail line between Reading and Westbury was shut due to flooding in several areas, including Newbury Station.

West Berkshire's emergency planning officer, Carolyn Richardson, previously said properties had been flooded and roads closed.

She said: "We've experienced flooding in areas that we haven't experienced in the past this year which is challenging.

"The ground's been saturated because we've had lots of rain, not just in the last few weeks but for previous months."

In April 2023, the council said it had secured £6.3m from the Environment Agency to protect homes and businesses.

It said the money was for projects including the digging of huge ponds to collect water in Thatcham, work to protect homes in Lambourn and a study in the Clay Hill area of Newbury.

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