市民被淹， 议会被诉
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=440 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD class=headline vAlign=top colSpan=4>Council to be sued after flood</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<P><FONT class=byline>By Paul Reoch</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=bodybold>FLOOD-RAVAGED residents in a Kinross-shire village are to sue Perth and Kinross Council. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>People in Milnathort are incensed at a report issued by the local authority to gauge why the ￡500,000 flood prevention scheme failed on December 13, causing around 40 residents to leave their homes and businesses.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Villagers feel that the centre of Milnathort is now a “ghost town” in the evenings and have said they have “little faith” in the council with the possibility of flooding occurring again.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>A deluge of rain led to a local watercourse, the Back Burn, overflowing that night, leaving vast tracts of the town underwater.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Perth and Kinross Council asked Arup Scotland, which built the scheme, to look into its failure and also appointed Atkins, consultant engineers, to validate the work independently.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>But Dawn Ramage (52), who had four properties ruined in South Street in the flooding, yesterday described the centre of Milnathort as being akin to a “ghost town” and confirmed that members of the Milnathort Action Group will be suing the council.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“We are horrified at this report and will be taking legal action against the council—someone has to pay for this,” she told The Courier. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“We have little faith in the council.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“The centre is like a ghost town at night—there is nobody there. We are concerned that this may lead to a rise in vandalism—a phone box has already been damaged.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Mrs Ramage, who previously said the flood defence scheme was “fatally flawed,” continued, “This report will be discussed a full six months to the day after the flooding happened. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“And if action is taken to correct matters, will this be done in time for the bad weather?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“There has been a lot of rain lately so another flood could easily happen again.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>This is backed up by Atkins, which has stated that until the earth bund at Wester Loan is replaced “the flood prevention scheme at Milnathort remains compromised.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>It notes, “Atkins believe that if the earth bund had been constructed to its intended level and had not failed, the flooding in Milnathort would have been substantially reduced.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>The Atkins report highlights the fact that no flood prevention scheme was in place at Wester Loan until consultants judged it necessary.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Jim Irons, executive director of environment for Perth and Kinross Council, said, “This is a matter of continuing concern. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“The flood defence scheme, as approved by Scottish ministers, did not have any defence included.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“It was only once a contract had been let that it was deemed that an earth bund and an extension to the adjacent wall were necessary to ensure the integrity of the scheme.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Mr Irons wants to see a masonry wall built to the same height of the flood defence line at Wester Loan, but Mrs Ramage feels such measures are not enough to pacify Milnathort residents.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>She added, “We have learnt that Arup didn’t tender for this work, it was just given to them by the council. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“We also believe that the council lied to us about removing the service ducts.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“The old service ducts are still there, but there was an opportunity to remove them in years gone by.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>This is also supported by the findings of Atkins in its flood assessment.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>The findings said, “Arup’s 1993 report concluded that the service ducts themselves presented an obstruction likely to restrict flow and that they also had a tendency to catch debris washing down the burn which would add to the constriction.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Mrs Ramage will also contact the Commissioner for Information regarding not receiving a response to a Freedom of Information request she made from Perth and Kinross Council.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“This asked to look at the council’s policy on dealing with flood prevention, but this was refused due to time factor,” she explained. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“I can’t understand why they would want to withhold this.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“Nor can I understand why the council talked to members of Tayside Fire and Rescue about the overtopping that occurred at the back of the Jolly Beggars.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>Mr Irons added, “The investigation has found that the standard to which the scheme had been specified, a one in 100 year event, was appropriate in line with national advice. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“It also found, however, that in one area the scheme had been constructed to a height that was lower than the intended design level, and that the scheme failed at this area. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>“The investigation concludes that the flooding in December was in all probability greater than the capacity of the one in 100 year design, but that if the scheme had been built to the intended level at all points then the flooding would have been considerably less severe.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>As a result of the report, Arup has been instructed to come forward with a permanent solution and to ensure that this is included within an amended flood prevention scheme.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT class=body>The report will be discussed at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee on Wednesday. </FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
[[i] 本帖最后由 yfmain 于 11/6/2007 20:56 编辑 [/i]]