Can the flood of 1968 happen again?

A PUBLIC meeting will be held in Keynsham this month to discuss the risk of a repeat of the devastating flood of 1968.

The disaster, in July of that year, killed seven people and destroyed bridges in Pensford, Woollard and the County Bridge in Keynsham.

A total of 250 homes were flooded, several to a height of three metres, while one in Chew Magna reached 5.5 metres.

The meeting will assess the likelihood of similar floods happening again and what has been done over the past 57 years to mitigate the risk. It will also examine the question of what individuals and communities should do to prepare.

The event at The Space, above Keynsham Library, on Thursday March 13, 7pm, will be hosted by MP Watch North East Somerset and Hanham.

It will feature representatives of the Environment Agency and Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART), as well as meteorologist and author Jim Dale. The Bath and North East Somerset Emergency Planning team and elected representatives have also been invited to attend.

Tickets can be obtained via Eventbrite or by emailing MPWatchNESH@gmail.com

Although admission is free, there will be a retiring collection to cover the costs of the event, so attendees are asked to bring some cash.

Emma Giffard, flood resilience engagement advisor at the Environment Agency, said the organisation is keen to build on its engagement with the community to support greater resilience and preparedness. Through its flood and surface water risk maps, every household and business can now check the risk to their own property.

Simon Hunter, CEO of BART, said: “BART has successfully implemented several small-scale schemes with limited resources, each delivering local benefits.

“However, the greatest impact comes from the cumulative effect of multiple Natural Flood Management measures, working alongside conventional flood risk strategies to provide broader, more effective flood resilience.”

Jim Dale said: “I believe that beyond mitigation and defensive measures which need to be extended everywhere, there needs to be a focus on safety and even survival. That’s partly why I co-wrote the book Surviving Extreme Weather.

“I feel we are past the point of no return, and education and safety of communities are now paramount.”