Submerged Stories: When size really does matter

December 2012 and January 2014 floods tested the theory that ‘yes, the grounds were flooded in the past but the house was safely above the water levels’. That was good, and, as people who had moved to the area recently, we were at ease seeing that the theory stands.

Well … that was until only a few weeks later. The February floods did not need to test the theory any more, it simply got washed away!

The new build that we moved in to did remain above the highest level of the floods, comfortably above it one could say (if a foot and half sounds comfortable enough). But getting to it became almost impossible.

The sheds and the garage were of course well immersed. And then there was the ‘little house’, an annexe for which the council is very happy to extract a separate council tax.

Two more inches and it would have joined the significant number of properties along the road that were rendered uninhabitable for the remainder of the year. As the ‘annexe’, despite being classified as a habitable dwelling, does not qualify for any flood protection works under any scheme. We genuinely worry about those last few inches … and the what if's …

And what options do we have? Make it into a shed (and stop paying the council tax) or demand for it to be fully recognised and eligible for better flood protection?

And how about a proper community wide approach? Altogether a better idea in everybody’s view! How about the flood relief scheme that we heard so much about when the waters were high and which we hear nothing about now? Or not until the waters rise again?

Two more inches next time and I will really be very annoyed for all that talk and no action or money spent on the only thing capable of helping everyone!