On Friday, I was delighted to organise at meeting at Botley Mills to explore how we can protect the site from flooding. Botley Mills and all the small businesses located there are a real asset to our local community. However, this flood caused major disruption to those businesses and also cut off Mill Hill Road for a period of time which simply isn't good enough.
The flood was caused by a burst water main which was in part due to Southern Water increasing the water pressure. For this reason, I invited Southern Water, the Environment Agency and Hampshire County Council to meet with me and Joe Appleby, the owner of Botley Mills, to discuss these issues and protect the site from future floods. I am pleased that Southern Water have agreed to lower the water pressure, carry out further investigations and that all agencies will work together to ensure the water infrastructure and flood defences are working as they should.
I will continue to update those residents and businesses as this work progresses.
