Flood fear: Isle of Wight residents slam Alverstone resurfacing

Read more: Isle of Wight thunderstorm warning extended into next week

They are slamming a decision to press ahead with work through the village, after pleading with the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads to halt the scheme.

On Monday, resident Richard Bur tried to get the Environment Agency, Island Roads and the IW Council to stop and —  for a while —  tools were downed.

But on Monday evening, an IW Council spokesperson told the County Press the work would go ahead as planned.

County Hall said a permanent fix would be costly, would take time, and would involve the cooperation of a number of agencies and land owners.

Scroll down for the statement in full...

Resurfacing work is underway in Alverstone

The Alverstone roadworks

Why are residents worried?

The area has a history of flooding, with the latest incident as recent as March.

Isle of Wight firefighters were called to bail out houses inundated after one of the month’s storms.

Residents say raising the level of a road near the ford will restrict floodwater that otherwise drains onto the flood plains.

They say they have been dealing with problems since 2005, when a water level management plan wasn’t carried out in the right way and a pond was introduced.

The bridge arches, which have silted up.

"The pond isn't a problem, it's the earth around it. The bund is blocking the flood plain," resident Richard Bur told the County Press.

"The other problem is the ditches —the mill race and the link ditch which runs alongside the road from the Yar to the ford.

"Neither have been maintained and are now blocked.

"The bridge arches, which were unblocked in 2005 have now silted back up again and have had no maintenance.

"Water comes down mill race ditch, which is blocked all the way with willows, so it backs up and floods the nearby houses."

Flooding in March 2020, then a couple of days after when the water had subsided. Pictures by Derek Bampton.

What has the Isle of Wight Council said?

On Monday night, an Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the concerns of a local resident in Alverstone regarding road resurfacing.

“At our request, an Island Roads engineer re-visited the main road at Alverstone due to be resurfaced and has confirmed the work on the carriageway will continue.

“While they will be applying an overlay treatment, Island Roads are aware of the historical flooding issue and will ensure the existing dynamic of water being shed from the carriageway through a grip into the ditch remains.

“Island Roads has given assurance that the highways ditches are being maintained and are functioning as they should.

“Work will also take place in front of properties to ensure the carriageway ties neatly into any driveway access.

“Any efforts to resolve the flooding issues for the area would require significant expenditure and a multi-agency approach including the Environment Agency, the council, Island Roads and local land owners.”