THE increasingly frequent impact of flooding on Nynehead was the subject of a ‘lively’ debate in the village’s Memorial Hall on Monday evening (February 16) with local MP Rachel Gilmour.

Mrs Gilmour took along senior Somerset Council executive Cllr Richard Wilkins to face an audience ‘demanding action’.

The meeting followed two weeks of the main road from Wellington to Nynehead being been cut off by floods which did not recede no matter the efforts which were made to clear gullies and drains.

About 25 villagers attended the session before the parish council’s monthly meeting and heard Mrs Gilmour explain Somerset Council was suffering financial problems and had faced massive challenges in the aftermath of Storm Chandra, but that flooding could and must be resolved.

Cllr Wilkins said although more frequent flooding could not itself be avoided ‘we can help once the water has gone’.

He told villagers “You are not being ignored.”

But, several villagers complained bitterly that official promises were not being kept, action was lacking not only by Somerset Council but also by landowners, and that rare repairs to road damage such as potholes lasted only days.

Cllr Wilkins said January saw 7,000 reports of potholes compared to 2,000 in the same month last year, and apologised that his budget was insufficient to handle everything.

He said “But, I can promise you I will be working hard to get the best value from everybody I work with.”

Somerset Cllr Gwil Wren, who represents Nynehead, said the village ran a constant risk of ‘actually getting cut off’, with four of the five entry roads frequently made impassable by flooding.

Mrs Gilmour said she would continue to press the Government and the council to pay more attention to the threats facing Somerset, not only from flooding but rural deprivation and lack of public transport.