The Kempsey flood alleviation scheme is proceeding well and all the earthworks have now been completed including the fish reserve and left neat and tidy. The grass seed will be sown in April and the Environment Agency will continue to be responsible for the landscaped areas for the next 5 years. The pumps are currently being tested in the Netherlands and the Environment Agency envisage installation and commissioning around June 23.

There is to be a full FLAG meeting in St Mary's House on Friday 20th April at 7pm. It will be great if you can come and if you could let Joy Oram know if you are coming on 01905 828197 so we can arrange the refreshments.

On Wednesday 20th January 2011 the Regional Flood Defence Committee approved funding for Kempsey’s flood defences. Work on the bund is aimed to start later this year.

Thank you to everyone who signed petitions, donated money or attended one of our many events. Your support really helped to boost the profile of Kempsey’s case and to achieve this great result. We hope to soon be declaring Kempsey a flood-free zone!

FLAG stands for the Kempsey FLood Action Group. We formed in January 2009 after the village narrowly missed out on funding from the Regional Flood Defence Committee for a flood alleviation scheme.

Our members are all local people committed to preventing the devastation, disruption and expense caused every time the River Severn and Hatfield Brook flood. For some villagers, this is more than a yearly event! In fact the village has suffered some degree of flooding a total of 23 times in the past 30 years. Read more about the impact of flooding on Kempsey. 

Since January, the Kempsey community has united to raise money and to show our support for a flood defence scheme designed by the Environment Agency.  We are hopeful that the Regional Flood Defence Committee will grant us funding for the scheme when they meet again on 16 September.

More than 1,000 people have signed petitions in support of the scheme. More than 150 people have paid £5 each to be Friends of Flag, and we have 300 members in our Facebook group. 

We’ve also obtained substantial press and radio coverage about the scheme thanks to awareness-raising events including pub quizzes, a six-mile pub walk, a garden walkabout and Bund Aid – our spectacular music festival.

Worcestershire County Council and Kempsey Parish Council have generously committed to support the scheme financially and all the landowners who would be affected by the building of the bund have given their written approval and support.

Homes flooded in: 1979, 1981, 1988, 1989, twice in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, twice in 1998, twice in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, four times in 2007, three times in 2008.

• * 150+ properties affected in July ’07. Almost half had sewage- contaminated river and brook water in living areas
• * 23 floods in 30 years. Some homes hit 6 times in 12 months (Jan ’07—Jan ’08)
• * Pumping station flooded. Sewage in streets and homes presents a major public health hazard
• * A38 flooded for several days in 2007 and completely closed to traffic for two days
• * 9,900 vehicles use this major trunk road every day.  When the M5 is closed, the A38 is a diversion route for thousands more vehicles
• * Flooding of A38 affects emergency services’ ability to respond
• * Thousands of commuters and villagers unable to reach homes.
• * Businesses lost trade for up to 13 weeks.