"Bureaucracy" stopping preventative measures in Framlingham

Nick Corke, chief executive of Hour Community in Framlingham, said "bureaucracy" had slowed down the process of getting the necessary preventative measures put in place, adding that a "mirror" of Storm Babet would produce the same result because "nothing has been done".

Brown water inundated roads, homes and businesses in the town on October 20 last year during heavy rainfall which caused the town's Mere to overflow, affecting 117 residents and businesses.

READ MORE: Framlingham Post Office forced to close after Storm Babet

Framlingham Post Office in Riverside was also flooded during Babet (Image: Submitted) Cars in The Elms car park were also submerged by the flowing tide.

Mr Corke said a willow tree was still causing a blockage in Fairfield Road, although he credited staff from Government department the Environment Agency for removing weeds from the River Ore.

He was also concerned that conservation group Suffolk Wildlife Trust was set to pass responsibility for maintaining the town's Mere to Framlingham College in 2025.

READ MORE: Gallery of flooding in Suffolk in aftermath of Storm Babet

He said: "I am worried because there is nothing to stop the same thing from happening again, but what can we do about it? We can't do anything about it."

On the positive side, he said a resilience and recovery group had been set up - formed of local town and district councillors and residents - which had received emergency planning training and he hoped this group would know what to do in the event of a repeat flood.

Last year's storm affected more than 70 residents in the town, with some being able to access insurance money while others were not.

READ MORE: Opinion; The good and bad of Suffolk's flood response

Cars parked in The Elms car park were submerged in the brown water (Image: Submitted) Mr Corke said he was aware of two residents who had still not been able to return to their homes a year on.

Meanwhile, in September this newspaper reported how the Castle Shoes shop in Albert Place would not be reopening after the flooding caused £60,000 worth of damage to stock.

READ MORE: Suffolk town's response during Storm Babet praised

In a statement on the shop's page on social media site Facebook, owners Donna and Dave Hammond revealed difficulties they had making an insurance claim for the damage, which they were going to take to an ombudsman, which handles complaints against insurers.

They said: "As a result of the continued difficulties, we have had to take the heart breaking decision to close Castle Shoes permanently.

"This has not been an easy decision. We have lost 318 days of trading that we will never be able to recover from."

READ MORE: Appeal to help Suffolk residents flooded out by Storm Babet