Britain’s once in a lifetime flood
Dirty, polluted water is flooding homes, gardens and whole streets, as low-lying towns along Britain's swollen River Thames turn into lagoons. DW visits one of the hardest hit villages, Wraysbury, West of London.
Wettest winter in centuries
Residents of the Thames riverside community of Wraysbury, in Berkshire, to the West of London, have never seen flood waters like this before. Dirty, polluted water has inundated homes, gardens and entire streets in the town, as Britain experiences its wettest winter in 250 years.
Only accessible by boat
Local Wraysbury resident Peter Kavanagh, a retiree who lives near the river, says the water started spilling over the banks of the Thames shortly after Christmas. Seven weeks on, the area is covered in waist-deep water. Peter and his wife, Erica Matlow, now depend on a small paddle boat, which is moored alongside the front steps to their home, to get around their neighborhood.
Stay, or go?
More than 1,000 homes have been evacuated in low-lying areas along the swollen river. But, Peter and his wife are adamant that they will not leave their property, despite the grueling conditions. The neigborhood is eerily quiet: Many families on their street have already packed their belongings and left town for drier ground.
Political storm
Volunteer flood wardens in Wraysbury check on evacuated homes and are on standby to assist any residents to and from areas cut off by the rising floodwaters. While locals are grateful for the volunteers, many are critical of Prime Minister David Cameron and the country’s Environment Agency for their poor handling of, and response to, the historic flood.
Time is of the essence
Wraysbury residents are running out of time. Not only are they fighting water spilling over the banks of the river, but ground water levels are also rising. The soil below the surface is soaked after almost seven weeks of heavy rainfall.
Water - As far as the eye can see
It is not just the community of Wraysbury that is fighting the flood. Numerous townships along the Thames have been hit by rising waters. Villages in the low-lying Somerset Levels, a plain to the southwest, have been inundated for more than five weeks.
Cut off from the outside world
The country's transport network is also in trouble. In several areas, the rail networks have shut down due to waterlogged tracks, and some roads also remain closed. Many people living in the affected areas are unable to leave their homes and are cut off from the outside world.
Carry on
Peter Kavanagh, the retiree from Wraysbury, is determined to carry on with life as best he can, using his own local transport system to ferry people back and forth.
More to come
Weather forecasters predict the situation will only get worse, with heavy rain and storms predicted for the end of the week. The people of Wraysbury and the nearby village of Staines (pictured) are resigned to living with the floodwaters for weeks to come. And once the water recede, the clean-up of contaminated mud begins. Life here will not be back to normal for many more months.