Over the last 12 years, members of the Malmesbury Flood Working Group have operated the privately owned sluice gates at Cowbridge in Malmesbury, and in doing so have significantly reduced the possibility of properties within the town from being flooded.
But recently it has become apparent that there are some inconsiderate riverside property owners that are pruning their trees and throwing (or allowing to fall) the sawn-off branches into the currently, fast-flowing river.
Eventually, these branches end up in the sluice gate area, often causing a blockage and /or the jamming of the mechanism. In the latest incident the operations manager and safety officer took over an hour to retrieve the branches from the river. This type of behaviour is not only putting people’s lives at risks but also creating work that the volunteers did not sign up for.
As a town we rely on the goodwill of these volunteers to operate the gates, if they did not who would operate them?
We ask that Residents consider the consequences of their actions, and please refrain from throwing trees, branches and unwanted items in the river. If you have an issue with a tree that is in danger of going into the river, we would be happy to provide some advice and support to help you to get any trees/branches removed. It is likely to be safer and easier to do this than to deal with the consequences of the current situation.
Thank you for your understanding.
Ray Sanderson, Chair of MFWG
