Weymouth Town Council will be working with Dorset Council to create a Community Emergency Plan in light of recent flooding.

At the end of last month, there was serious flooding around parts of the town. Areas around Weymouth Harbour were left underwater after high spring tides coincided with bouts of heavy rain and strong wind.

Commercial Road was one of the roads most affected by the flooding and as a result Cllr Graham Lambert questioned the town council on the issue.

He asked: “Is there not an urgent need for Weymouth Town Council to review and update its disaster emergency planning procedures as a matter of priority?”

In a report sent to councillors, Deputy Town Clerk Matt Ryan, responded to the question.

He said: “Dorset Council is the Coast Protection Authority and also the Harbour Authority and therefore, fulfils its duties under these legislations. The Environment Agency maintain the flood walls around the harbour and it is Dorset Council’s responsibility to maintain and repair the harbour walls and other coastal defence assets.

“Dorset Council are working with the Environment Agency to develop plans allowing for climate change over the life of the coastal defence asset. Sea level rise forms part of this calculation. The Environment Agency have a duty to reduce flood risk to 300,000 homes nationally and Dorset Council are able to apply for Flood Fence Grant in Aid (FDGIA) to fund capital works that will contribute to this target.”

Mr Ryan added: “Officers will develop, as soon as possible, a Community Emergency Plan in liaison with Dorset Council; and will progress an emergency planning page on the town council’s website, providing useful links to national and local guidance.”

At a full council meeting, Cllr Lambert said: “I would like to thank Matt Ryan for his comprehensive answer. The reason I highlighted it was because not just the night we had a bad storm, but the next day we hit the spring high tide and down on Commercial Road water was welling up through the road surface. It’s not just creeping through alongside the sea wall, there’s a problem there that’s ongoing and as indicated in my question, this problem with flooding is only going to get more acute. I want to be sure that Weymouth Town Council has an adequate response should we reach the point whereby people are finding their homes flooded.”