RESIDENTS in Ashburton have given a cautious welcome to a new flood warning system which will give more time for them to prepare if the town is hit by flooding.
But some people living in the Devon town fear the service, set up by the Environment Agency, will not go far enough to protect homes at high risk.
A flood defence scheme was built in 1983 on the River Ashburn which has prevented the town centre flooding since, but the current early-warning system relies on communication between a number of volunteers and agencies.
Town clerk Bruce Broughton said: ‘We’d get a warning from the Environment Agency to say there was a flood risk.
‘I would then check the river levels and probably have a quick drive around just to have a look at all the areas to see if there were any signs of flooding.
‘And then if it looks like one or two areas, we’re going to need to do something, then we send out an alert on the WhatsApp group and get some volunteers and if necessary, build sandbag walls or do whatever is required.’
Mr Broughton also explained how the existing 40 year-old defence…
