Council Thanks Residents for Flooding Input

The Town Council would like to thank residents who completed our ‘Flooding in Thame’ survey, and for sharing their experiences, images, and observations.

The Town Council collated this information into a report and mapped out the flooding incidents, largely from 23 September 2024. This information was then shared with Oxfordshire County Council which triggered a Section 19 Flood Investigation Report for Thame, as they were previously unaware of the severity of the flooding in Thame that day.

Although the report will take some time, the results and recommendations will enable the County Council to apply greater pressure to the relevant flood management authorities to fix the problems in Thame.

Where to From Here?

On Tuesday 15 October, a good number of residents turned out for Thame’s Full Council meeting. Amongst a packed agenda, the council considered the recent flooding in Thame and the report mentioned above.

Thame Town Council is currently working with the District Council’s specialist flood engineers, the Environment Agency, and Thames Water, on flood mediation works on Cuttle Brook; once all the details have been gathered from the specialists their recommendations will be shared with residents.

The Town Council has also carried out ditch clearance and budgeted for this to be carried out regularly. The River Thame Conservation Trust have approval from the Environment Agency for works to improve water flow in Cuttle Brook.
 
The Town Council recognises there is a lot more data to capture locally and is exploring the possibility of creating a working group, led by Councillors and the public, to undertake this data gathering exercise to use, along with the result of the Section 19 flood Investigation report to get help from the relevant organisations and authorities to complete the required works.
 
In the meantime, the Town Council encourages residents to continue reporting any flooding issues via Fix My Street, as this is the most effective way to get the issue passed to the relevant authority.
 
Oxfordshire County Council has also created a Flood Toolkit.
 
You can view the draft minutes of the meeting on our website.