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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Service marks floods anniversary | Service marks floods anniversary |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of people have attended a service at Tewkesbury Abbey to mark the first anniversary of floods that devastated the town. | Hundreds of people have attended a service at Tewkesbury Abbey to mark the first anniversary of floods that devastated the town. |
| Thousands had to leave their homes and businesses when local rivers burst their banks in July 2007. | Thousands had to leave their homes and businesses when local rivers burst their banks in July 2007. |
| Dozens of families in Tewkesbury are still living in caravans while their homes are being repaired. | Dozens of families in Tewkesbury are still living in caravans while their homes are being repaired. |
| Councillor Vernon Smith: "People are still worried if we have the same rain tomorrow the same result would happen." | Councillor Vernon Smith: "People are still worried if we have the same rain tomorrow the same result would happen." |
| Mr Smith: "If you look around Tewkesbury no ditches have been cleaned out, there is no major improvement. | Mr Smith: "If you look around Tewkesbury no ditches have been cleaned out, there is no major improvement. |
| "How many more lives do we have to lose before the government stops using a risk-based approach because who takes the risk? We do." | "How many more lives do we have to lose before the government stops using a risk-based approach because who takes the risk? We do." |
| Town crier Mike Kean-Price said the events of last July had been "very traumatic" for the town. | Town crier Mike Kean-Price said the events of last July had been "very traumatic" for the town. |
| Tewkesbury was quickly overwhelmed by water in July 2007"You want to help but it is difficult - people are very proud. You see them ripping up their carpets and throwing all their worldly goods out into a skip. | Tewkesbury was quickly overwhelmed by water in July 2007"You want to help but it is difficult - people are very proud. You see them ripping up their carpets and throwing all their worldly goods out into a skip. |
| "Those are very deep scars." | "Those are very deep scars." |
| The floods recovery minister, John Healey, was among the congregation. | The floods recovery minister, John Healey, was among the congregation. |
| He said: "All the reports I get, and the work I've seen that's been done, including better defences for the water pumping stations and the electricity substations, mean that we would be in better shape, better prepared, better planned if it happened again. | He said: "All the reports I get, and the work I've seen that's been done, including better defences for the water pumping stations and the electricity substations, mean that we would be in better shape, better prepared, better planned if it happened again. |
| "But of course you can never, never guard against the sort of floods and the sort of rainfall that we saw last summer because Britain's never seen rain like that before." | "But of course you can never, never guard against the sort of floods and the sort of rainfall that we saw last summer because Britain's never seen rain like that before." |
| Thousands of homes and businesses in England were affected by the flooding, generating insurance claims of more than £3bn. | Thousands of homes and businesses in England were affected by the flooding, generating insurance claims of more than £3bn. |
| According to the Environment Agency, 55,000 homes and businesses across the country were flooded. | According to the Environment Agency, 55,000 homes and businesses across the country were flooded. |