Agency work savedRye from flooding

This week staff from the local Scots Float depot took the Rye Observer on a tour of the flood defences.

They pointed out how high the water had come above the original wall and said shops and homes at the Strand would have been flooded out if the new wall had not been in place.

“It would have been catastrophic,” commented one worker.

Ian Nunn, who heads up the local Environment Agency team explained how staff have been working around the clock for the past two months to protect the area from the ongoing severe weather conditions.

He said: “Workers on the ground have been putting in 100 hours a week with many giving up their Christmas break.

“It is a difficult job for the guys on the ground and they do get moaned at but they do an outstanding job in all weathers and at any time of night or day.”

Ian ‘s deputy Bob Woolgar said: “Lot’s of what we do is beyond our remit. We helped out at Tilling Green when there was a drainage problem and provided pumps and man-power.

“Many people here live in the area they serve and want to do their best for the local community. There is genuine job satisfaction.

“We have less than two percent staff absence rates as an organisation, which is very good, particularly with the field teams.”

Ian Nunn said: “You can’t please all the people all the time but at the end of the day we have prevented properties in the area from flooding which is a good result.”