14 March 2008
Councils were once again left with substantial clean-up bills after storms battered much of the country this week. Adverse weather conditions forced the closure of railway lines and roads and the abandonment of the second day of the National Hunt Festival race meeting at Cheltenham on March 12.
The South West was hit in the early part of the week by gale force winds and localised flooding. Devon County Council's head of highway management Lester Wilmington said the damage was likely to cost £40,000 in initial clean-up costs. A spokesman for the council told Public Finance that the county had reports of 155 incidents relating to fallen trees and branches and 75 of flooding.
The storm continued on March 12 across the North of England, Northern Ireland and North Wales, where motorists faced chaos as several major bridges were affected. The Environment Agency put five flood warnings and 25 flood watches in place across the region. Later the storms moved across central northern England and East Anglia.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has confirmed that the UK will receive £120m to help repair damage caused by heavy floods in England last summer. The UK applied for money from the European Union Solidarity Fund to cover costs such as rescue services and temporary housing. The rules stipulate that the money must be spent by public bodies such as local authorities or ambulance trusts.
PFmar2008
