Buckinghamshire Council has revealed that they have teamed up with the Environment Agency and Chesham Town Council to try and thwart any flooding issues impacting the town.

At the beginning of this month, Chesham was badly impacted by heavy rain which led to blocked off roads.

This was partly down to the River Chess overflowing.

Many reports have been put forward to both councils to try and rectify the issue.

The floods were particularly noticeable in Moor Road in the town.

Jilly Jordan, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We are very much aware of flooding issues in this location and are sorry that residents have been experiencing impacts as a result.

“This location sits in a high risk area on the flood plain and groundwater levels remain high following the wet winter.

“This means that river levels are higher than would be expected at this time of year. 

“In addition there was close to 40mm of rain overnight on Friday night with nowhere for it to go.

“Both Buckinghamshire Council and the Town Council have responsibilities for maintaining the river in this area with the Environment Agency being the lead risk management authority for the River Chess itself.

“We have been liaising closely with all parties to address the issues and we are pleased to report that the Environment Agency has programmed work on this section of the River Chess after the summer to improve resilience over the winter months."

Following the floods, Buckinghamshire Council took ‘immediate action’ by placing emergency signage at the site warning those in the area of slippery conditions.

This was after river water had backed up through the highway drainage system due to the wet weather.

The Council has since ordered a ‘bung to seal the gully to alleviate’ the high level of rain.

Jordan continued: “We will continue to closely monitor the area to check it remains safe, with warning signage in place where there is a slip hazard, and we are continuing discussions with the Environment Agency and Town Council over our mutual responsibilities for the area to ensure we all continue to address the underlying issues.”

She concluded: “ We hope the residents will be reassured that we are aware of this situation and are taking action to resolve the problems where we can.

“The reality is that the root cause is the exceptional rainfall this year and while we can act on the areas we can impact, the overarching advice to residents is to familiarise themselves with our detailed flooding advice on our website (www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/flooding) which includes advice about how to be prepared in a flood risk area and how to access the Environment Agency flood information, warnings and alerts.”