Troops, offenders drafted to help with U.K. flood defences

AN unlikely alliance of armed forces personnel and groups of offenders are lending a hand to help with the 150,000 flood defences across the country some of which have reached dangerous levels in areas such as Somerset Levels that have been worst hit by the recent torrential rains.

More than 200 men and women from all three services (Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force) are helping with the inspection of flood defences as the government sees an opportunity to train the armed forces to deal with similar calamities.

On the other hand, a handful of offenders were drafted to help with filling up sandbags over the weekend with more continuing the work on Monday, always under the supervision of the Probation Services.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said Army personnel will be trained by the Environment Agency (EA) over the next week to act as assessors before carrying out a rapid survey of the nation’s battered flood defences, news reports said.

Hammond had initially said the work would be carried out by the Royal Engineers but the Ministry of Defence said personnel from across all three armed services would be selected for the task “on the basis of their ability to understand their training and apply it in the field”.

He said that more than 3,000 troops were involved in the flood relief effort, with troops returning from Afghanistan and Germany playing a bigger role.

The Probation Service said that offenders on Community Payback schemes shifted 14 tonnes of sand and filled 600 bags on Saturday, while a group of five filled 750 on Monday at the Sedgemoor District Council depot in Bridgwater.

The Service said that offenders, all of whom have been handed community service sentences of between 40 and 300 hours, have also offered to help on the Levels when the clean-up operation begins.

Meanwhile, controversial plans to axe jobs at the Environment Agency are to be raised at fresh talks this week despite assurances from the Prime Minister that no jobs would be cut during the current flooding crisis, according to unions.

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