IT has been the wettest January on record with rain pouring on 23 of the 31 days of the month. In February we have seen winds of up to 80mph and rain continues to batter the South West Peninsula causing even more damage to the road and rail network of Devon.
The Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced on Thursday 6th that the Government would be provide an additional £130m for emergency repairs and maintenance to cover the costs incurred during the current emergency response and recovery and that his department would be making improvements to the Bellwin Scheme, the emergency extreme weather payment that Government give to local authorities, to help deal with damage caused by extreme weather. I have been pressing Ministers to apply greater flexibility to the Bellwin Payments ever since the floods of 2012, so I am please that the Government is taking comprehensive action.
I also undethat approved a £31 million flood defence scheme for Exeter which will see dredging of the River Exe start this summer.
Extra pumps, sandbags and military support are on the ground and are helping people who have been affected by the flooding. The Environment Agency staff on the ground, the emergency services, military and volunteers deserve our thanks and admiration.
The destruction of Dawlish's iconic coastal railway serves as a stark reminder of how extreme weather like that experienced this month can cause huge disruption to the Westcountry's transport infrastructure. No trains are currently running between Exeter St David's and Newton Abbot and it is not expected to reopen until March 18 at the earliest. However, I understand that Stagecoach has slashed its ticket prices to help residents travelling between South Devon and Exeter.
Having a fully operational road and rail network is vital to support the growing economy of the South West and, as Dawlish and the recent flooding in the Somerset Levels demonstrates, communities in the Westcountry are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
I recently raised this with the Transport Minister, Robert Goodwill, during Department for Transport Questions last Thursday. I said: "At the moment, not only do we have problems with the main rail down through Dawlish and Exeter, but we need to upgrade the Exeter to Waterloo line. We also need that second arterial road route, the A30-A303, to ensure that we get access to the Westcountry".
The Prime Minister has given a pledge in Parliament to look at possible alternative rail routes from Plymouth. This would involve an alternative route to Plymouth, north of Dartmoor.
The Transport Secretary confirmed that a study into rail resilience on the Great Western main line would take place during an urgent statement on the 13th February. Which why I am pleased to be hosting a rather timely event on the February 25 in Parliament for Westcountry MPs and local authorities to highlight the impact of the recent extreme weather on the South West Peninsula and particularly the resilience of the transport network. We will also be launching The South West Extreme Weather Resilience Report. The report, which was commissioned by local authorities in the West Country, estimates cost of the damage to the Peninsula economy, transport and public from the storms in 2012 and 2013 is in the region of £140m. When the latest flood damage and disruption is taken into account, the cost will certainly be many times more.
The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLaughlin, will be attending the event and we hope to convince him that securing the investment needed for Network Rail's flood resilience programme for the South West is an urgent priority.
The report, although based on information from 2012 and 2013, will be a useful tool for Government when examining long-term solutions to winter floods and extreme weather and their effect on the South West's transport infrastructure.
The way the Government approaches flood maintenance measures is also something I have been examining as a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. The committee held an evidence session with the Minister and Chief Executive of the Environment Agency on the Winter Floods on 22nd January and now we are now inviting written evidence on the effective use of dredging and the funding allocated to the Environment Agency.
