Power Cuts and No Running Water Cause Concern

Residents in Nettleham, Welton and Scampton were without a water supply for several hours last night, with intermittent power cuts also affecting the area, the Lincolnshire Echo reports. 

Anglian Water informed residents that the cuts, which struck local villages around six o'clock last night, following a brief interruption in the power supply, were caused by a pump that had failed in the area.

Mrs. Karen Falloon, noticed the cuts when she returned from work in Lincoln. She said:

“I got back from work and I noticed that the phone had reset.

“My husband then told me that the power had cut for five minutes. An hour after the cut I noticed that the cold water had stopped running, and it didn’t start until eleven thirty.”

“It can cause sanitary issues. Almost half of Nettleham’s residents are retired people, which is the biggest problem.”

Another local, described how she got into a bath of scolding water, due to being unaware that she was without cold water. She said: 

“I suffer from a bad back so I usually have a warm bath in the evening. 

“Last night I took my pills and there was no cold water, I didn’t realise until I got in. It was also a lot of water that’s gone to waste.”

She praised Anglian Water for providing advice and contacting affected residents in the area to inform them of the problem. She added:

“I received a call from Anglian Water to say that the cause was a broken pump and that it would be back by 11.30pm. 

“Anglian Water were very good in dealing with it. I checked with my next door neighbour and they were also contacted.”

West Lindsey District Councillor, Cllr. Giles McNeill said:

“Since the developments in the area, there have been a few power cuts. You’d expect the infrastructure to be more resilient. 

“I don’t want it to have to happen again as it is quite worrying when you don’t have a running supply of water for a few hours. 

“I represent a lot of the elderly and the vulnerable in the village and to be without power and water can cause great anxiety. We need our utilities to be resilient, robust and reliable.”

Shouldn’t a Public Inquiry be held in Public?

Conservatives and West Lindsey residents protest in anger at Liberal Democrats’ restriction of attendance by public and councillors at Citizens’ Jury.Conservative councillors and residents living across north-west Lincolnshire have reacted with anger to Liberal Democrat led West Lindsey District Council excluding district and county councillors together with interested members of the public from observing the proceedings of the Citizens’ Jury looking into the summer floods of 2007.


Conservative councillors at West Lindsey District Council are furious at being told by Cllr. Reginald Shore, the Leader of the Council, that they were not allowed to attend the Citizens’ Jury that took place at the new Council offices at Marshalls Yard in Gainsborough on Saturday 19th January 2008. The jury met in seclusion with representatives of Anglian Water, County Highways Department, the Environment Agency, Witham Drainage Boards, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, the Police, Severn Trent Water, council officers and other select invitees. The jury did not, as had been widely assumed by both councillors and residents, meet in open session.

County, District and Parish Councillors protested outside the New Guildhall brandishing placards asking “Shouldn’t a Public Inquiry be held in Public?” and collected signatures for a petition objecting to local residents’ elected representatives being barred from the meeting.


Cllr. Bernard Theobald, Conservative Group Leader said:

“The Council proclaims its values as ‘honest, professional and straightforward’ but this whole inquiry has been handled in a way that is anything but. Cllr. Shore has flip-flopped over the reasons for denying access – first it was because the room wasn’t big enough and now it is because “it is crucial to its success that the jury itself is not held in public”.

Cllr Meg Davidson who made the original suggestion last July that there should be a District-wide flood inquiry said:

"I represent an area which was badly affected by last summer’s floods and where there is now renewed anxiety as water levels are again running very high. I fully expected and intended to be present at the Inquiry on Saturday to observe the proceedings. I find it bizarre that the press was admitted to observe the Citizens’ Jury in action whilst the councillors, the elected representatives of the residents of West Lindsey were excluded."

Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor said:

“We had several days of flooding in Nettleham, and it disgusts me that it has taken over six months to get answers from the various authorities; but I expected it to be a public event at which people like myself would be able to observe proceedings, even participate – I never imagined that it would be by invitation only and that they would need to pay people to attend!

Risks of village flooding discussed on LincsFM

Giles McNeill has today been interviewed by Andy Marsh of LincsFM about the flooding of Nettleham earlier in the year.

Talking about the floods in Nettleham and in the broader context of the Sir Michael Pitt's report (available here) into flooding, Giles McNeill said:

"At all levels we need to take seriously the problem of flooding. Sir Michael's report highlight's the urgency with which this matter needs to be treated. I am happy to have supported Nettleham Parish Council's own investigations into the summer floods since they occured."

"It is my attention to meet with colleagues on Lincoln City Council to discuss the concerns local residents have of further development upstream."

The interview is being played during hourly news bulletins. click here to connect to LincsFM.

Flooding in Nettleham Village Report

Today a report, produced by Faber Maunsell, was published regarding the summer flooding in Nettleham. It is an important document that is due for discussion at an open meeting of the Parish Council on Wednesday 30th January 2007 at 7:30pm in the Large Hall of the Old School.

Giles McNeill said:

"I am happy today to see that the report, commissioned by the Parish Council in Spetember, following the summer floods, has been Published."

"I do hope that this, clearly excellent, report will provide the building blocks for ensuring that we protect Nettleham from risks caused by future development and produce tangiable results which will reduce the risk of this kind of flooding happening again. I hope that a good number of villagers, together with the Environment Agency, Lincoln City Council. Lincolnshire County Council, West Lindsey District Council and Anglian Water will all take note."

The report is available from the Parish Council's website. Click here.