Following a meeting with local residents from Apperley Bridge on the recent flooding, Imran has called for works to be undertaken in Bradford to ensure flooding on the scale seen isn’t repeated.

The extensive flooding in Apperly Bridge over recent weeks has been set against a back drop of devastating flooding across the North caused by huge cuts by the Government to flood defences and their reluctance to develop an effective flood prevention strategy to protect communities.

The flooding that ensued included raw sewage pouring into the area and led to hundreds of households being affected, ruining the Christmases of many families who were forced into clean-up operations over the Christmas break.

Meeting with the residents affected, a number of issues were raised with Imran, including drain clearing, dredging of the river and management of banks, the effect of planning permissions on flood security, and the question of un-adopted roads, and he has pledged to take these concerns up with the Government and other authorities alongside his call for a wide ranging investigation and plan for the Apperley Bridge area that has the remit to take all these issues into account.

Speaking before the debate, Imran said:

“I have already written to the Flooding Minister, and I will be writing to him again to ask for this help in ensuring that officials from the Environment Agency sit down with representatives of Yorkshire Water, Bradford Council and Leeds Council to discuss a proper flood prevention plan for the District and ensure that contentious planning decisions being made in the area are subject to proper risk assessment.

“With the presence of flooding on un-adopted roads such as Waterloo Crescent which has caused serious hardship for residents, it is my view that we need to get these roads adopted, and I will also be pressing the Government on funding to make this possible.

“I would also like to reiterate my support for the outstanding and dedicated work of the emergency services in helping residents in need, but we need this flood prevention plan to ensure that they are not called out in this way and that we are not having this debate again in the future, and I intend to make sure that the different bodies involved are brought together to make sure it happens.”