A WEST Craven councillor is appealing for information about historic flooding incidents in Earby in the hope of securing funding for a multi-million pound scheme to prevent future high water hell.

Cllr David Whipp, who represents West Craven on Lancashire County Council, is gathering evidence to support a bid for flood alleviation work in the town.

“Earby has been affected by flooding regularly in the past,” said Cllr Whipp. “In the past 25 years, I’ve witnessed first-hand when roads have run like rivers.

“Lots of small-scale schemes have been carried out to reduce the risk of flooding during the past 20 years, including work currently underway in Water Street, but the risk of a major incident remains.

“There’s now an opportunity of getting the Environment Agency (EA) to carry out a flood alleviation scheme, either by creating a storage area above the town or diverting water from Earby Beck away from the town centre.

“This is a golden opportunity for a multi-million pound investment in flood relief, and I’m appealing for information that will support the case for a scheme.

“Previous proposals drawn up in 2007 to tackle flooding ran into the sand. I’m determined to make the most of this new opportunity to save Earby from future flooding. The EA is keen to come up with some solutions and we need to add to that momentum.”

Earby flooding issues were raised during a recent Pendle meeting, leading to the EA and representatives from county, borough and town councils getting together and having a walkabout around Earby’s flooding hotspots.

“The EA has already identified a major scheme being needed to renew the culvert, which runs beneath Victoria Road,” added Cllr Whipp. “It’s hoped to expand this to carry out work to reduce the risk from Earby Beck flooding.

“Meanwhile, we’ll continue with the small-scale schemes to reduce the risk from less catastrophic flooding incidents.

“The information I’m seeking is the dates and severity of flooding going back 100 years or so, with evidence from newspaper cuttings, photographs or other archives.

“Brian Ritchie has already provided some photos of his father’s from a serious incident in the 1950s or 60s.”

Cllr Whipp can be contacted on e-mail david.whipp@dsl.pipex.com, via Facebook or on 01282 666777.