Flooding: Doctor spends thousands of pounds protecting home

A retired doctor spent tens of thousands of pounds surrounding his home with flood defences after it was wrecked by Storm Dennis.

Edwin Gale built banks higher than 2.1m (6.9ft) to ensure there is never a problem again.

Dr Gale said it was worth stumping up himself to ensure his property was protected in future.

The Welsh government said it was committed to its largest ever flood defence programme.

NRW said society must accept some places would flood and communities may have to move.

In 2020, water went over the couple's existing flood defences and rose halfway up the wall on the first floor, as communities across south Wales were devastated by Storm Dennis.

That meant Dr Gale and his wife were unable to live in the former mill, in Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire, for a year.

Insurance covered the damage, at their home on the banks of the River Usk, but not the cost of future-proofing their home.

"We built what the locals call a 'bund' around the house," Dr Gale, who is in his 70s, said.

"That involved moving 5,000 tonnes of subsoil and raising the level 2.1m.

"It cost us quite a lot of money and we had to pay it ourselves because that wasn't covered by insurance."

Dr Gale said they had no choice but to do the work if they wanted to stay in their house.

"We're now insurable, we're flood resilient, and we can at least feel that while other people are at risk of flooding, it is very, very unlikely that it will ever happen to us," he said.

He urged everyone in flood-risk areas to consider the impact of climate change.

Dr Gale said: "Many people will find themselves in the same position we did unless they take steps now."

In Wales, 250,000 homes, or one in eight, are at risk of flooding, according to NRW.

It said climate change meant the number of people at risk of floods was increasing.

Natural Resources Wales' flood chief Jeremy Parr said: "The amount of money that we would need to protect everybody from all flooding - it's just not feasible.

"It will happen more frequently. It is a natural phenomenon. You can't protect people all the time from all flooding."

Mr Parr insisted where possible defences would be built.

"We have a lot of defences all the way across Wales and that will continue to be the case," he said.

"In some places, it makes sense to build defences and protect communities.

"But there's only so much money."

The Welsh government has created a National Infrastructure Commission to ensure Wales can cope with climate change.

One commissioner, Dr Eurgain Powell, is worried people do not understand how their lives would be affected.

"We need people to get a much better understanding of the impacts that we're likely to face over the coming decades," she said.

"And what we can do collectively to adapt and prepare."

Dr Powell fears for those who cannot afford to protect their homes.

"There could be an issue around those who can't afford to do that, and an issue around those communities and people who have been left behind," she said.

"So there's definitely an equity issue and a social justice, or a just transition issue, that we need to be very mindful of."

The Welsh government said it had committed to its largest ever flood programme.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said more than £214m would be invested over the next three years."We are working with partners to support communities that will be most affected," she said.

"In some circumstances, difficult decisions will need to be made to safeguard people, property and infrastructure and it is important such decisions are made at a local level and led by local authorities and Natural Resources Wales."