Victims of severe flooding in Arnold in June say not enough action is being to take action to prevent a repeat.
One resident says she has been ‘left in the dark’, and has had 'no contact whatsoever' since the day after the flood.
Another resident said they still ‘shook with fear’ that it would happen again, and said authorities were ‘negligent’ for the lack of action.
It comes after a report was published by Nottinghamshire County Council detailing exactly what happened, and why the 44 properties were flooded between June 10 and 12 this year.
The nearest rain gauge - at Lambley - recorded 92mm over the three days, with 59mm falling on June 11 alone. The average rainfall for the entire month of June in Nottingham is 64mm.
The report - which was approved on Thursday, September 5, by the county council - shows that a large water storage area adjacent to Rolleston Drive in Arnold broke its banks, sending a huge torrent of water downhill, hitting 24 homes and 20 businesses in Bentwell Avenue and Brookfield Road.
Such was the force of the water, garden sheds were lifted up and carried five properties downstream. In parts the flood water was up to five foot deep.
Dawn Spooner’s property, on Bentwell Avenue, was hit by the flood.
She says she is ‘one of the lucky ones’, because her home was narrowly missed by the water, but the flood filled her garden.
She said: “I’ve not had a single letter from the county council, I’ve heard absolutely nothing, zero.
“We had some bad floods a couple of years ago, and they set up a flood committee. That was really useful because we got to communicate and learn information, but this time there’s been absolutely nothing.
"We haven’t heard from them since the day after the flood.”
By law, the county council is the Lead Local Flood Authority. This means it must assess local flood risks, and set objectives for managing local flooding.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said they were still suffering from flashbacks from the event, which has had a significant impact on their mental health.
They said: “Every time it rains you start panicking.
“All I want is some knowledge that they’re taking it seriously. Instead I’ve had absolute silence from them. It’s like torture.”
Neither of the residents had been made aware of the new report before being contacted by the media.
Immediately next to the pond which broke its banks is the site of the former Rolleston Drive Highways Depot, which was destroyed in a fire which took 30 firefighters several hours to put out.
Since the fire, the site has been cleared, and has now been concreted flat.
The site was not listed as an exacerbating factor in the review of what happened, despite some fears the large flat surface meant water drained into the adjacent pond far faster than it normally would have done, contributing to the pond breaking its banks.
The site has also been at the centre of a separate row over what should be built there. The Conservative county council owns the land, and says it is in the process of selling it to housing developers.
But the Labour-run Gedling Borough Council has accused it of dragging its heels over the sale. It has also offered to buy the land from the county.
A joint statement from the Labour leaders of Gedling Borough Council, as well as the Gedling MP Vernon Coaker, said the council is still yet to act on preventing the repeat flooding residents fear.
It said: “The severe floods earlier this year in Arnold caused significant damage to a number of people’s homes and local businesses - many of them, three months on, are still picking up the pieces.
“Whilst we welcome the recent publishing of the report by Nottinghamshire County Council, it is looking backward, not forward.
“It fails to provide any assurances to local residents who do not want to see this type of devastation to their homes again.
“We've listened to residents about what happened in the lead up to and during the flood, it is therefore disappointing and unacceptable that the report fails to mention contributing factors such as water run off towards Bentwell Avenue and Brook Gardens from the derelict county-council-owned Rolleston Drive site.
“Nor does the report mention or address issues with blockages in the drainage ditch, which runs to the rear of Brook Gardens, Bentwell Avenue, Brook Avenue and the Rolleston Drive site.
“Residents expect Nottinghamshire County Council to take immediate action. "
However Conservative councillor John Cottee, who represents the committee which deals with flooding, and is the councillor for Keyworth, defended the council’s record robustly, and attacked Labour’s comments.
He said: “Vernon Coaker, John Clarke and Michael Payne are making a habit of misleading local residents, often to cover their own backs regarding problems that started on their watch.
“We’ve seen this in relation to the Rolleston Drive site fire, and now we see it again over the flooding in Arnold.
“The main cause of the flooding was a surface water attenuation area maintained by Gedling Borough Council, which reached full capacity and broke its banks on the evening of June 12, affecting 24 residential properties and 20 business”
“Our officers have worked constructively with Gedling Borough Council and Severn Trent Water and have produced a Section 19 Report which was passed in committee this week.
“This is a key part of the process to identify solutions, to stop this happening again.”
“There was no intention on behalf of the county council to make this a political issue, because that does nothing to help the residents affected."
Gary Wood, the group manager for highways and transport at the county council, said: “We understand the devastation that flooding causes and we empathise with residents and business owners in Arnold.
“The water storage area adjacent to Rolleston Drive that reached full capacity and broke its bank is maintained by Gedling Borough Council and we’re working with partners to ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities.
“It’s also important that property owners with water courses next to their property are aware of their responsibilities and we’re happy to offer them any support and advice.
“Prior to this flooding we have been looking at the complex surface water systems in the Upper Daybrook area with Severn Trent Water and Gedling Borough Council who are key partners and owners of assets in the area including the Rolleston Drive storage area.
“This extensive study will be completed later this year."
