The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is thanking communities, parish councils, flood wardens and emergency services for their ongoing work and support during the response to this week’s floods, as the clean-up and recovery phase begins.
The council is also thanking the community volunteers, contractors and others, who worked alongside the council and were integral to the response to the flooding and supported residents while the situation evolved during the last week.
This multi-agency operation saw dedicated council teams working with colleagues, partners and communities on the ground and in co-ordination roles, to deal with various flood-related issues, including evacuating and supporting vulnerable residents in affected areas, closure of flooded roads and contingency arrangements.
With the floodwater continuing to recede, authorities and community groups are now turning their attention to the clean-up operation and getting the borough back to normal as quickly as possible. As flooded roads become clear of water, they are being inspected, cleaned, gritted and re-opened. Cookham Causeway has today closed as floodwater fully receded overnight from Sutton Road, which has reopened to traffic. Remaining road closures can be seen at https://one.network/
Residents are asked to continue to be patient during the recovery process, as a number of services are likely to be disrupted due to local conditions. To report any council roads or pavements which need cleansing following the flooding, or if you think your bin has been missed, please report these to us on our website https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/report-it Thames Water is responsible for cleaning up after sewage flooding – more information here.
You can help further by providing a “What3words” location, to help responders find the specific location.
The council is also assessing the condition of its parks, other open spaces and car parks which were closed earlier this week due to flooding, and undertaking any work required to reopen them as soon as possible. Following inspection, Ray Mill Island and Guards Club are now open. Wraysbury Container Library also reopens today.
If your property has been flooded, Government advice on next steps is available here and here. Please be cautious of anyone who cold calls you to offer their services for either waste collection or remedial works.
Bin crews are continuing collections on scheduled days across the borough, so please leave bins out as normal. Crews will pick up as many bins as they can access safely. If your bin is not collected, this will likely be because of the flooding situation prohibiting access – please leave it out and it will be collected as soon as practically possible.
Stephen Evans, the council’s Chief Executive, said: “This has been a very distressing situation for everyone who has been impacted. Although the flood waters are receding, the situation is not over and there will continue to be disruption to those areas which are acutely affected. As we move from emergency response to recovery, I want to express my immense gratitude to all organisations and individuals who have worked so well together and acted quickly to support our communities and vulnerable people.
“These include police and fire services, council colleagues and contractors, parish councils, the Environment Agency, Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue, flood wardens, other volunteers, as well as the private, voluntary and independent sectors, who have all played a critical part to safeguard lives and keep residents safe.
"We are continuing to work with emergency services, partners and communities to provide support the best we can to those affected, while working to get the borough back to normal as soon as possible. We’d like to thank everyone for your ongoing support and patience during the clear-up.”
Tim Readings, Group Manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, added: “We really appreciate the support and patience of everybody that has been impacted by the floods. Flooding has a serious and devastating impact on our communities as seen over the last week.
“During this week, we visited over 90 properties in Wraysbury to check on the welfare of residents. We worked closely with our partners to support those affected residents.
“As we move forward, we want to reassure our residents that while flooding continues to have a significant impact, we are also more familiar with how best to work with our partners to respond to the impacts of adverse weather. From this, we've got some well-established mechanisms for drawing on everyone's expertise to respond to these emergencies together.”