On Monday, OnTheWight ran a report about a letter sent by Cllr Gary Young to the Environment Agency in relation to the recent flooding of Morton Common.
In the letter he states,
“It is felt by our residents that The Environment Agency and the RSPB are knowingly causing flooding to private properties along the length of the river.”
A spokesperson from the Environment Agency has been in touch with OnTheWight and tells us,
“We reject speculation that the Bembridge Sluices caused any flooding to Morton Common Rd as it is located too far upstream to be affected.
“In fact, this would not be possible as the Yar Bridge effectively prevents any ‘backwater’ effect that the sluices could have, as demonstrated by the drop in water level either side of the bridge.
“We sympathise with communities that have been affected by the recent flooding. We believe that the flooding experienced in the area was due to a record level of rainfall combined with severe winter storms.”
The Environment Agency have also confirmed that they would be happy to send representatives to a public meeting organised by Sandown Council to discuss the issue.
Response from the RSPB
Following publication of our article, the RSPB also gave us this response,
“The RSPB does not manage Morton Common and the charity has not taken any action which would lead to flooding in the Morton Common area. Nor has the charity destroyed habitats in that area.
“The land the RSPB owns and manages at its Brading Marshes Nature Reserve consists of grazed flood meadows downstream of Morton Common.
“The RSPB appreciates the distress caused to people affected by flooding this winter, but we believe this is the result of severe winter storms and record levels of rainfall”
Meeting arranged
Brading Town Council have organised a meeting to be held to discuss the recent flooding. It takes place on 29th January at Brading Town Hall from 7pm.
