THE CHAIRMAN of Liss Flood Action Group believes obstructions in rivers are only part of the flooding problem.

Councillor Mike Kendall, who is a parish and district councillor for Liss, was repsonding to a letter in last week’s Post from Duncan Petty about the River Rother.

“Duncan makes an important point about keeping the river clear of obstructions,” he said.

“We now have volunteers from around the village who will act as flood wardens.

“Their main function will be to check the river and the streams, tributaries, culverts and ditches that flow into it, in times of heavy rainfall.

“Recently, debris has been removed from near Andlers Ash Road bridge.

“The design of old bridges like Station Road and Andlers Ash Road, unfortunately encourages debris to be caught up by the central pier, which will contribute to flooding if not dealt with promptly.

“Tree roots which had grown into a man-made culvert flowing into the river, have also been removed.

“We are talking to landowners about removing fencing and other potential obstructions.”

Cllr Kendall believes that obstructions in rivers are only part of the problem though.

For years, land adjoining rivers has acted as flood meadows, absorbing water that has flowed over river banks and helping to slow the flow of water to areas further downstream.

Many sites around the country have been built on, or are in prospect of future development. The water has nowhere to go.

“This will be a big issue in Liss, as the Neighbourhood Plan comes forward with sites for future development,” he said.

“Many people are calling on central government to make developers improve the design of housing to resist future flooding.

“These are national issues for central government and the principal flood action authorities, and locally with help from these agencies we intend to begin a dialogue with local landowners about how together we can try to reduce the risk of flooding in Liss.”