Skip to content

How Christmas floods led one town to take action

Ben Schofield/BBC A 'Santa stop here' sign in front of a pile of sandbags. There is a small patch of grass visible in front of the sign. Behind the sandbags the bottom half of two front doors can be seen.Ben Schofield/BBC
After "significant" floods in January, February and September this year some households fear they could happen again

Volunteer flood wardens are becoming a "vital" part of preparing for and responding to floods, according to the Environment Agency.

Newport Pagnell, near Milton Keynes, set up a flood action group after the River Ouzel burst its banks on Christmas Eve 2020.

In the days before, the area saw almost double the amount of expected rainfall. Water poured up from sewers, roads were closed and some homes damaged.

Now, when flooding happens or is imminent, the team are on the streets warning households, closing roads and distributing flood barriers, often before emergency services or the council can respond.

The Environment Agency said it would work with other flood groups, as about one in four homes could be at risk of flooding by 2050.

Handout A flooded road in Newport Pagnell on Christmas Eve in 2020. A beauty salon called Halo can be seen on the corner of the junction of Tickford Street and Priory Street. It is surrounded by water; the white, painted top of a mini roundabout can just be seen poking out of the flood water. There are three traffic cones in the water and a 'road closed' sign at the top of Priory Street. It is night time and lights on the outside of Halo are on and are reflected in the water's surface. Handout
Flooding on Christmas Eve in 2020 saw roads closed and damage to some houses in Newport Pagnell

Richard Ayres admits having "middle-of-the-night" worries about rising flood waters.

He spent Christmas Eve 2020 defrosting the freezer in his Newport Pagnell flat after waist-high flooding knocked out the electricity.

Water had "backed up and caused an eruption" from a manhole, he recalled.

"It was shocking to see - the speed the water came up once that [manhole] had actually breached."

The water built up and "found the next weakest point, which was another manhole - that then went".

Eventually three manholes were "pouring essentially sewage straight into our car park".

The flats, which are raised above the ground, did not flood themselves but two cars were lost to water damage.

Ben Schofield/BBC Richard Ayres looking direct to camera, standing outside in the car park belonging to his block of flats. He has a bald head and brown eyes, and is wearing a black collared T-shirt and grey gilet. To the right of the image is water covering part of the car park. A yellow grit bin can be seen in the corner, surrounded by water. To the left of the image is the brickwork of the apartment block. Ben Schofield/BBC
Richard Ayres said he had been surprised by the frequency and severity of flooding

Mr Ayres, 46, has lived in the block overlooking the River Ouzel for 18 years.

Living close to the river he anticipated some flooding, but he did not expect the "frequency and severity" or the sewer water.

Since the Christmas Eve floods, he has joined the town's flood group and become a volunteer flood warden.

The town saw significant flooding in January, February and September 2024, and the group serves as an "early warning" system, he said.

"We let each other know how quickly it's rising, whether we think people are going to be affected, whether we should start taking precautions."

Richard Ayres A shot looking down on to flood waters surrounding a red brick, relatively modern-looking building. The dark green water is several bricks high and can be seen reaching underneath an arched area, through some doors and into a lobby, which appears to also be underwater. A row of mail boxes are just visible underneath the arch and are around six bricks above the water. A raised metal pathway and handrail can be seen on the right of the image. Richard Ayres
Waist high flood water has inundated the lobby and car park area of Mr Ayres' block of flats

David Adams, another member of the flood group, has fished in the River Ouzel for more than five decades.

It is home to pike, roach and perch, but Mr Adams, 72, said the way the river responds to rainfall was changing.

Unlike 30 years ago it was now rising faster and peaking higher, he said.

When we visited in the days after Storm Darragh, the river was fast moving and at flood.

DJ McLaren/BBC A starship delivery robot submerged in flood water. The robots, which are like smart cool-boxes on wheels, are used to autonomously deliver groceries in the neighbourhood. This robot's wheels are all submerged beneath muddy water. It is mostly white, with two black bands running around its top and bottom. The words "open here" can just be made out on its roof or lid. It also has a flag pole coming up from its rear, right hand corner. At the top of the pole is a triangular orange flag. Elsewhere in the picture is a small grassy bank, a wooden fence running from the right of the image into the middle distance, and some bare trees. In the far distance some flooded playing fields can be made out.DJ McLaren/BBC
Starship robots transport groceries around Newport Pagnell but are not immune to rising floodwaters

"This is ridiculous," he said, looking into the water, "we've had about an inch and a quarter of rain gradually over three or four days."

Using data published online, Mr Adams, a retired housing association finance director, monitors sluice gates and pumping stations along the catchment of the Ouzel and nearby River Great Ouse, which the Ouzel flows into.

"As soon as it starts raining, I start looking."

Ben Schofield/BBC David Adams looking direct to camera and standing in front of a body of water and several trees, most of which have shed their leaves. The body of water is the River Ouzel, which is at flood. Richard has grey hair and is wearing a purple checked shirt, dark red v-neck sweater, khaki hooded top and a heavy, khaki waterproof overcoat. Ben Schofield/BBC
David Adams hoped the flood group meant the town would be "forearmed"

In September he recalled monitoring a "surge of about six feet of water" which was "frightening".

"It put the [pumping] station at the top end of Newport at record levels, and the poor people down Sherington Road - they were just under water."

Ben Schofield/BBC Piles of white sandbags leaning against the fronts of terraced houses in Newport Pagnell. The image is taken looking along the pavement, which disappears into the distance. To the right of the image is the road, with some cars parked up to the sides. The houses are red brick, Victorian-looking terraces.Ben Schofield/BBC
Households were said to be "hedging their bets" about more flooding

According to Chris Holroyde, the group's chair, the Christmas Eve floods caught many "on the hop" and there was confusion about who to contact for sandbags and information about road closures.

The 68-year-old and other flood wardens have also helped devise the town's community flood plan and bid for money to buy items such as temporary flood barriers.

Ben Schofield/BBC Chris Holroyde looking direct to camera and standing on the side of a residential street. He has grey hair and blue eyes and is wearing a shirt, green half-zip top and a grey and black anorak. To the right of the image are cars parked on the opposite site of the street and a terrace of brick built houses. To his left are some black railings, behind which is a bush.Ben Schofield/BBC
Chris Holroyde said there was concern about future flooding in Newport Pagnell

Mr Holroyde said there was a "great deal of concern" about the future, especially as "so much more flooding seems to be taking place".

A long-term aim of the group was to "work out how we try and at least mitigate as much as we can," he added.

Ben Schofield/BBC Jane Carr, looking direct to camera and standing on the pavement of a residential street. Jane is wearing a red and silver festive bobble hat and a blue waterproof coat, with a purple coloured top underneath. She has blue eyes and her light brown hair can be seen emerging from under the red hat. Immediately to the right of her in the image is the side of a car. A silver van is parked further away behind her on the opposite side of the road. To the left of the image are the frontages of terraced houses. On the pavement are some small foodwaste bins, as well as a pile of sandbags.Ben Schofield/BBC
Jane Carr hoped the group would help coordinate the response to flooding

Liberal Democrat Jane Carr, who represents the area on Milton Keynes City Council, suggested the town form a flood group following the Christmas Eve floods.

Back then she said there was little "coordination".

"We didn't really have an idea of who could do what and when and how."

But now she said the group offers "community support".

"It's making sure people know where to come and who to talk to, so that we can actually get people the support they need," she said.

'Vital'

Emily Beasley, an operations manager with the Environment Agency, said her colleagues meet with the Newport Pagnell flood group every three months to discuss how to "make the community as resilient as possible".

She said the Environment Agency was "really up and open" to working with other flood action groups.

"It's so important to be as aware and prepared as possible for a flood event and the local flood groups are vital in getting those messages to the communities."

She also encouraged individuals to sign up for flood warnings and flood alerts, which send information about flooding over email and text message, as well as draw up their own flood plan.

Ben Schofield/BBC A sign saying 'Danger deep water' with a river and bridge in the background. A smaller sign on the left of the image explains the site is a water meadow that is designed to flood each year. The ground behind the signs is clearly flooded and is almost indistinguishable from the channel of the river.Ben Schofield/BBC
The town's Tickford Bridge overlooks a wetland meadow next to the River Ouzel, which is designed to flood each year

Is climate change to blame?

Mrs Beasley said climate change was bringing "intense rainfall" that happens "very quickly".

"It is what we should expect for the future. So we will likely see more flooding."

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said there is more heavy rainfall because the warmer Earth gets, the more moisture the atmosphere can hold.

For every 1C of global warming, the atmosphere can hold around 7% more water. In 2023, the Earth was said to be nearly 1.5C warmer than it was between 1850 and 1900.

Researchers at ClimaMeter said storms such as Darragh were up to 10% wetter than previously due to "human-driven climate change".

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story
Related internet links