Flooding

Peter Bone Excerpts

Monday 26th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Paterson]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. Rivers do not respect political boundaries. We are keeping in touch with all Ministries and Government agencies.

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

I thank the Secretary of State for coming to the House and informing us in such detail of what is happening and what he has been doing over the past few days. Flooding is occurring on the embankment in Wellingborough. Northamptonshire’s fire brigade and local councils are doing an excellent job. Like other Members, I ask the Secretary of State to look again at the issue of building on the floodplain, because regional spatial strategies forced councils to have residential homes in areas where they opposed them.

[Mr Paterson]

I went very close to my hon. Friend’s patch on Friday and saw the scheme that worked incredibly effectively in protecting Northampton town. The Nene was tamed. He rightly says that the huge wet area was saturated. I saw a permanent caravan site that had been badly flooded and a large number of people had been evacuated. I pay tribute to all the agencies in his area that I met: the Environment Agency, the police, the fire service and the local council. He is right that it is completely barmy to build on floodplains. I want to drill it in to everyone who is listening that the NPPF makes it very clear that that is a bad idea and that it should not happen.