'We need a long-term solution' - Council leader speaks out about flooding at Billing Aquadrome

After two flood-related full evacuations at a Northampton holiday park in just over five weeks, the council leader has spoken out about needing a long-term solution.

In the early hours of Saturday morning (February 10), the flood siren at Billing Aquadrome sounded and residents were evacuated. It was a similar story at the start of 2024 when residents also had to be evacuated because of flooding. And the two incidents this year are nothing new, as Billing has experienced a lot of flooding over the years, due to its close proximity to the River Nene.

Residents were allowed back onto the site on Sunday (February 11), but the turnaround is not always that quick, as earlier in the year caravan owners had to stay off the site for days, ahead of their planned month off.

The leader of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is now called for the owners of the park, which there are currently challenges around, to implement stronger response plans, with “less reliance on the public purse”.

Councillor Jonathan Nunn, leader of WNC said: “We are so pleased to hear that the water levels have receded and residents have been able to return to their homes at Billing Aquadrome following the flooding over the weekend.

“Emergency services partners, including our council, fire and police service worked alongside on site management to support the evacuation of residents alongside an absolutely tremendous response from local community volunteers including The Red Cross and 4X4.

“Around 60 residents stayed at a sheltered venue there overnight on Saturday and were provided with emergency bedding and hot food, with others staying with relatives until they were able to start returning to their homes later on Sunday.

“Whilst the health and safety of residents at Billing Aquadrome is ultimately the responsibility of the park owners, we and our emergency services partners will always step in to respond and support in incidents where there’s clearly a high risk to people’s welfare and wellbeing.

“For the sake of those residents who continue to be affected by flooding at Billing, we cannot allow it to keep happening and there needs to be a sustainable, long-term solution to addressing these issues. We cannot stress how difficult and challenging that will be, given that this is part of the flood plain there to protect houses and businesses in the wider area.

"Alongside supporting the site’s owners in improving their emergency response plans it’s important we also work with other partners including Environment Agency to identify the challenges and opportunities that will help us do this. We are therefore taking steps to set up a task group that will look at these issues.

“We are aware there have been challenges around the site’s ownership arrangements and believe a more settled long-term solution would result in the park’s plans and ability to respond becoming stronger and stronger with less reliance on the public purse.”

The last post on the Billing Aquadrome Facebook page, from Sunday, said: "We would like to thank all the Billing Aquadrome staff involved in this current process, national grid and all external contractors.

“The team have worked extremely hard and should be really proud of themselves.”