A Wiltshire town which was submerged under water during the floods in January has celebrated its emergency flood plan, but some councillors say that there is still more work to be done.
On January 5, 2024, Marlborough residents witnessed the worst flooding event in the town's history as Storm Henk saw 40 homes evacuated and many residents carried out on emergency rafts by rescue crews.
The town has now spent months picking up the pieces, and the emergency flood plan has played a huge part in this.
During a recent Marlborough Town Council meeting it was noted that there is a 'great deal of pride' in what has been achieved.
So far, the plan has introduced 15 volunteer flood wardens each from a different 'zone' of Marlborough who are being trained with valuable skills and local knowledge to aid in any future flood events.
Despite progress, some on the town council believe that there is still a more to be done.
Cllr Nicholas Fogg, who was town mayor when the floods hit, told the Gazette and Herald: "I think a great deal more attention needs to be given to the infrastructure.
"Kingsbury Street has turned into a raging torrent for years showing the inadequacy of the storm drains and the sewage pipelines are demonstrably inadequate.
"The fact that the original name of The Parade was Lower Marsh must be taken as a warning of its potential for its reversion to its function.
"The fact that the flooding issue has been taken up by candidates in the General Election is encouraging, but action is needed by the appropriate authorities after polling day.
"Local initiatives can only go so far."
The town council has also worked alongside agencies such as Thames Water, the Environment Agency and Wiltshire Council to scrutinise the January floods and figure out what could have been done better to minimise the damage.
Other actions have included syncing the flood plan with the flood alert system so that the severity of the flood risk can trigger different actions in the plan, and expanding the 'vulnerable sites definition' to include both vulnerable people and property locations.
Town Clerk, Richard Spencer-Williams added: "A lot has been done, but there is more to do so expect this to be ongoing."
Marlborough West Cllr Jane Davies, took a different view.
She added: "Flooding had a devastating effect on a number of houses and businesses in January, so I am very pleased that the Town Council, Wiltshire Council and residents have been able to work together to produce an up-to-date flood plan."
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