A bishop in Suffolk whose house was flooded in Storm Babet has raised concerns over homes built on flood plains.
The Rt Rev Mike Harrison, Bishop of Dunwich, lives in Mendlesham, near Stowmarket, and was among those whose homes were flooded.
He raised concerns that residents have been reassured that homes built on flood plains would not be vulnerable, which have “proved to be hollow promises”.
The Rt Rev Dr Harrison said: “One of the concerns expressed to me was how to ensure that as far as possible action would be taken so that in future excess surface water would be channelled away from homes.
“Some concern has been expressed locally about whether new building developments are contributing to the issue.
Stranded group rescued by a tractor in Mendlesham (Image: Bob Roberts)
“Again, some concern has been expressed by those flooded in other areas of the country that guarantees that housing built on flood plains would not be vulnerable have proved to be hollow promises.”
He described the floods as coming on “with shocking speed” and possibly the “worst flood devastation in decades”.
He added: "We ourselves were deluged in our home and are deeply grateful as are others for the generosity and kindness of neighbours offering help and providing emergency accommodation for my family.
Bishop Mike Harrison, Bishop of Dunwich, pictured in Mendlesham. (Image: Phil Morley)
“It is heartening to see the solidarity and empathy at work across our Suffolk communities at this time; whether providing shelter, food or practical assistance the neighbourliness is so encouraging to see.”
The leader of Suffolk County Council councillor Matthew Hicks said an investigation will take place "in due course" into whether anything could have been done to "lessen the impact" of the storm.
"The Met Office had issued a fairly typical yellow weather warning for rain in Suffolk (the next warning being amber and then red, as was seen in Scotland and the north east)," he wrote in his column.
"However, the amount of rain was more than the Met Office forecast. More than 75mm of rain fell on some areas of the county from Thursday night into Friday, which has less than a 1% chance of happening each year.
"This is more than a month’s worth of average October rainfall for Suffolk in just 24 hours."
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