AT PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, March 13, Councillors discussed the costs of the recent storms.

A report from the Head of Highways and Construction, Darren Thomas, and the Head of Environment and Civil contingencies, Richard Brown, outlined that the costs of the recent storms would be in excess of £750,000.

The report showed damage to the roads in Amroth and Wisemans Bridge, the flooding on Black Bridge and Carew Bridge and in the Pembroke Commons. Darren Thomas added that they hoped to complete work on the road in Amroth by the end of June.

They also showed the flooding in Newgale, Dale and Haverfordwest.Pictures showing the effects of the high winds that caused chaos in the middle of February were also on the presentation. They added that there were over 200 updates on Facebook and over 600 on Twitter in what was a busy period for the council.

Nearly 600,000 people viewed the Facebook posts while the photo of the bus incident in Newgale was seen by 25,000 people.

Regarding the situation at Newgale, Darren Thomas said: “The shingle bank collapsed and the road remained closed for five to six days. Some people have said that we should have gone in after the first day but trying to get there in the conditions would have been extremely difficult”.

Richard Brown added: “The Newgale diversion caused a lot of problems. There were major implications for the people who were flooded”.

The report concluded by showing the issues and challenges faced by the council during these periods.
One of the main issues was that of members of public ignoring safety messages, road closures and travelling advice.

The report highlighted a number of facts from another report made by Environment Agency which said: “A third of flood related deaths involve a vehicle because drivers take unnecessary risks”.

Darren Thomas said: “If drivers ignore a road closed sign then their insurance is invalid”.

Many workers faced abnormal shift patterns and councillors were keen to express their thanks to those who braved the elements as they worked round the clock to clean the roads. Councillors were then given the chance to discuss the report.

Cllr David Bryan asked: “Whose responsibility is it to put sand bags out?” to which Richard Brown replied: “The people are responsible for sand bagging but we will assist if we can”.

Councillors also asked about the amount of trees that came down during the strong winds to which Richard Brown answered: “It is in their own interest to make sure trees are safe and not going to damage infrastructure.

Darren Thomas added: “There will be a highways inspection and if we find a tree in a dangerous position we will notify the land owner”.

Both Darren and Richard concluded that the council had learnt a number of lessons including the use of social media and highways management issues.