Hi James and Claire, I made a complaint to the EA that they were essentially negligent in deciding not to close the Thames Barrier on Sunday 10th May, when the predicted high tide was forecast to be higher than the following high tide on Monday morning and when they did take the decision to close the barrier. I am receiving a Visit next Tuesday from the EA by one of their Flood Risk Management Officers for a site visit of my office that was flooded. A complaint can be made on the following telephone number, they were very responsive to my concerns: 03708 506 506They have responded and say essentially that the high tide fell within their expectations and parameters. Therefore, there was no requirement to close the barrier. Here is an exert from their response:Regarding levels through central London, indeed these were some of the highest observed in recent years, however they were of a similar magnitude to those seen in January 2005 and March 1990 and only 10cm higher than those observed in October of last year. It is important to note that as these levels are below the Thames Barrier closure threshold they can and will be seen again in the future.You have referenced the flooding of cars parked on Putney Embankment. Allow me to address this, the Thames Barrier will operate to ensure that water is contained within the tidal defences, but as you are aware there are many areas, such as those along Putney embankment, that are part of the functional floodplain and thus are designed to flood. These areas flood regularly over high spring tides and there is signage in the area denoting that the area is liable to flooding. We do issue Flood Alerts for Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir on a regular basis and indeed such an alert was in force on this occasion. End
Paul Benton ● 2209d