Residents asked for views on flooding

RESIDENTS in Carmarthenshire are being asked for their views on flooding.

The council is preparing a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) to address the risk of flooding in the area.

Residents and businesses across the county are invited to give their views as part of a consultation exercise and help shape the strategy.

Widespread flooding across the UK in the summer of 2007 resulted in the country’s largest peacetime emergency since World War Two.

The Government commissioned an independent review of the lessons learned during the flooding emergency.

The review was undertaken by Sir Michael Pitt, and is widely known as the Pitt Review. It called for urgent and fundamental changes in the way flood risk is managed across the country.

As a result, the Flood and Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 came into force and local authorities have been tasked with leading and co-ordinating local flood risk management.

Carmarthenshire County Council is a designated Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) under the act, and is responsible for preparing a strategy to address flood risk arising from local sources such as surface water; ground water; and ordinary watercourses.

Flood risk arising from main rivers and the sea will continue to be addressed by the Environment Agency.

Executive Board Member for Street Scene Cllr Colin Evans said: “I would urge residents and businesses to please take part in this consultation. It is important that we gain a better understanding of residents’ views and concerns so that we can create a strategy that reflects the needs of Carmarthenshire.

“Even with unlimited resources, flooding can never be fully prevented. The outcome of the survey will help to inform the strategy; however, it must be stressed that it may not necessarily lead to implementation of flood alleviation schemes in your area.”

To take part in the consultation please visit www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk or for a paper copy please call 01267 224544. The closing date for responses is September 28, 2012.