Environment Agency questioned over Helston flood defence scheme

However, the Environment Agency has said the defences are working as they should be and has denied there is a problem. 

It is after a weekend of heavy rainfall at the start of last week resulted in flooding around the area of Loe Pool and Degibna.

A bridge normally passable on foot was left submerged, with one runner telling the Packet how he had to turn back after water reached his knees and was still getting deeper.

Another Helston resident, Chris Michelson, contacted the Environment Agency to question why such flooding had happened following the introduction of flood schemes at both Loe Bar and in Helston town itself.

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It is exactly a year since the Environment Agency started work on the £2million flood prevention scheme in February 2020, which included new flood defences along the east side of the River Cober, a road ramp at the end of Mill Lane, earth embankment from Mill Lane to St Johns Road Bridge and rendered flood wall from St Johns Road Bridge to County Bridge.

It followed completion of a new flood relief culvert at Loe Bar in 2019, to replace emergency pumps that had been brought in.

At the time, the EA said the combined benefit of the new Helston scheme and the recently completed Loe Bar scheme meant a total of 121 homes in Helston would be better protected from flooding.

Water comes halfway up the boathouse by Loe Pool

Mr Michelson wrote: "You have spent many millions of pounds of taxpayer money to 'alleviate flooding and protect Helston'; yet Loe Pool is far too full and flooding is happening along the River Cober and the Penrose Estate.

"The river has almost no flow as it cannot get into Loe Pool because of the sheer volume of water in it. What an outrageous waste of public money."

He attached a photo of the boathouse on the Penrose Estate semi-submerged, with water coming at least halfway up its side.

Less than a fortnight earlier, at the last meeting of Helston Town Council, member Ronnie Williams also raised concerns over the new flood system in place.

He said over the Christmas period he spent "a complete night with phone calls" after there had been eight to 12 hours of steady rain.

He claimed: "If [the river] was another four and a half inches higher, there would have been an absolute flooding disaster in town. That's how close we were.

"The scheme in place now for monitoring the flooding has been set up wrong. It didn't come into it."

Water comes almost to the top of this fence post

Mr Williams went on to say the emergency number to call in the event of flooding was not working and that it was not until after "many phone calls to many places" that a swing shovel was sent by the Environment Agency, which dug out a blocked section.

"We were a whisker short of being flooded. These men did extremely well – they did a brilliant job of saving our town," he told the meeting.

"We need to look at a plan for Helston. If it stays as we are, we're going to have loss of life. The whole thing needs remodelling."

However, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the systems were working as intended.

She said: "The new flood alleviation scheme at Helston has been operated successfully several times since mid December and has prevented property flooding.

"The operation of the new bypass culvert at Loe Pool was triggered by water level criteria gathered from a long history of rainfall events. We have deployed specialists to measure flow and levels on site so that the data is available to confirm the flood scheme is working as we intended.

"At the height of river levels in the River Cober through Helston town – which were at their highest level since 2014 – there was over one metre between the highest river level and the top of the flood walls – therefore the new defences were providing good protection to properties in Helston.

The footbridge near Carminowe Creek was submerged in water

"The new tunnel through Loe Bar, completed by the Environment Agency last year, was opened to lower water in Loe Pool to below trigger levels. Waves had overtopped the bar, adding to the water level.

"A pre-scheme rainfall event with this magnitude would have seen a significant deployment of pumps and equipment to Loe Bar, which would have taken five days to set up so that we could mechanically reduce levels in the pool. It is fantastic news for Helston that we are now able to reduce water levels quickly through gravity, and with a low carbon footprint.

"Loe Pool is a SSSI and we are working alongside Natural England and the National Trust on water level management plans to maximise ecological benefit in this location in balance with managing the flood risk. The land adjacent to the pool and river in Penrose Estate is active flood plain and will flood during high flows but there is no property at risk in this location."

One runner comes up to his knees before havingt to turn back near Loe Pool