Ten years since the Great Flood

Sat 29 Jul 2017, 22:01

it is still an offence. I would suggest reporting, or even better photographing, offending vehicles going over the bridge which can then be investigated
This can be done by Oxfordshire trading standards at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/weight-restriction-enforcement

Sat 29 Jul 2017, 19:57

The weight limit on this bridge has been the subject of discussion on the forum last year - unfortunately it is ignored on a daily basis during the week . Nobody wants do anything about it. My estimation is 30 - 40 movements per week involve HGV 's passing over

Sat 29 Jul 2017, 11:21

I welcome the 7.5 Tonne weight limit, but was it imposed because the bridge, which I recall took about 6 weeks to rebuild, was not rebuilt to the correct standard?

Sun 23 Jul 2017, 16:20

Thanks Helen the Adlestrop cartoon made me laugh!

Sat 22 Jul 2017, 08:39

Speaking of Adlestrop... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2017/may/13/stephen-collins-on-poetry-cartoon

Fri 21 Jul 2017, 22:42 (last edited on Fri 21 Jul 2017, 22:43)

Yes (John), I remember Adlestrop....

Fri 21 Jul 2017, 22:29

None of the images on that page are of Adlestrop - the washout there was mostly under and very close to the bridge that takes the A436 over the railway and the river, so not an easy location to photograph from a helicopter. There was so much water trying to get under the bridge that it swamped the railway formation.

The main photo on the Network Rail page, showing ballast spilling out on to the adjacent field, is of the big washout between Moreton-in-Marsh and the village of Evenlode, where the river crosses from the east of the railway to the west. A similar washout must have happened in the past, as among the debris were lots of large drainage pipes that had been under the trackbed but had apparently not been kept cleaned out over the years. A series of new pipes were laid as part of the repair work and these can be spotted on a Google maps satellite image of the area.

Fri 21 Jul 2017, 20:07

William, thanks for the clarification - I was unfair - I was busy at the time working for Network Rail collating reports of flood damage from around the country and sometimes memory plays tricks! The location you mention and link appears to be Adlestrop.

Fri 21 Jul 2017, 19:59

John, you're being a bit unfair to Network Rail.

They had the Cotswold Line open again between Oxford and Worcester on the afternoon of Friday, August 3rd - so two weeks, not two months. And ahead of target, as they had initially been aiming to resume services the following Monday, the 6th.

The worst damage was just south of Moreton-in-Marsh, where the Evenlode washed away part of the embankment carrying the line. There are some aerial pictures from the time here https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/flooding-on-the-cotswold-line-service-update

Fri 21 Jul 2017, 19:40

Ten years ago today was the day when the extreme rainfall of 20th July 2007 caused the River Evenlode to rise rapidly and the following few days saw much flooding and disruption. Some of you will know of my weather station which recorded 82mm rainfall that day. Locally the B4437 bridge was severely damaged by the catastrophic flood that rose in level above its parapets and pushed the downstream parapet into the river! The road subsequently was closed for a while for repairs. The railway was washed out at Adlestrop (do you remember Adlestrop?) and took about two months to repair - to wasn't the only part of the railway damaged. Much property was inundated. For the detail-minded, the floods here in the Cotswolds, Tewkesbury and the Severn catchment, and in Yorkshire and Humberside that Summer led to a comprehensive review of flood management by a chap called Sir Michael Pitt. Pitt's review then led to changes in flood-related legislation and much improved coordination between local government, the Met Office and the Environment Agency, better flood mapping and improved warning systems.