Green Party co-leader and MP candidate for the new Waveney Valley Constituency, Adrian Ramsay, spent this afternoon talking to people affected by the flooding in Eye, Suffolk.
“The scenes and stories of flooding I’ve been seeing and hearing from Suffolk and Norfolk residents have been deeply shocking”, he said. “And I feel desperately sorry for all those affected. Houses, businesses, and cars have been inundated with water, parents had to rely on tractors to pick their children up from school, some people had to stay in community buildings overnight, and people had to move animals to safety. I commend the emergency services and council staff who are working tirelessly in very difficult conditions and all those people, including many Green Party councillors, who have been helping people in the aftermath of the storm.
“This is not the first time East Anglia has been flooded but climate change experts are shouting from the rooftops that if we don’t tackle the issue now we will experience what should be ‘once in a generation’ events like this increasingly often. This Government is letting us down. Not only are they not taking the issue of climate change seriously – reigning in on existing commitments – but they are also failing appallingly when it comes to flood risk management. We urgently need a long-term plan to improve natural flood defences and reassess planning regulations which still allow for new buildings on flood plains. Suffolk and Norfolk communities deserve better - as do all those around the country who have been affected by Storm Babet.