Freak hailstorm deluges Ottery St Mary

There can be no doubt about the most important story in my two counties yesterday and that was the freak weather of the preceding night that impacted on East Devon. It was a very severe thunder cum hailstorm centred on Ottery St Mary where most damage was done. Although Ottery took the brunt of the storm other nearby villages such as Feniton and Tipton St John also had a fair measure of flooding. The pictures I've seen on TV and on the internet give the impression of snow drifts but in reality the two foot deep or more "snow" was compacted hail. Although a belt of heavy showers had been forecast to come down from the north west during the night for some reason this very localised storm developed and stayed over Ottery St Mary for two hours or more. It has been suggested that up to 4 inches of rain descended on the town during the night with cars being moved in the floodwater and a number of people having to be rescued from their homes.

Rather like Boscastle in 2004 this weather event was both extreme and localised. Here in the Tamar Valley this October has been relatively benign and it takes some believing that the Ottery area has just suffered in the way it has. A couple of questions here: are these extreme weather events becoming more frequent or is it just a case of dimming of one's memory of what happened in the years, even decades, past? And if in truth extreme weather is now more prevalent can climate change be a factor.

Reverting to Boscastle for a moment, where it rained heavily on the night of the Ottery incident as well - enough to cause some flooding to a small number of properties, their huge storm occurred in the relative heat of August. It's also known that the topography of that part of Cornwall lends itself to the creation of such weather events, made all the worse by the steep narrow valleys leading down to Boscastle Harbour. The ambient conditions in East Devon this week are very different as we continue to be subjected to a cold stream of Arctic air.

On November the Fifth of course Ottery St Mary delights in having one of the country's more bizarre events when residents run round the streets carrying blazing tar barrels on their backs! Preparatory to that the town's carnival is scheduled to take place this Saturday. I understand that the organisers are optimistic that these celebrations will proceed as normal.

Ulster flooding four years on from Boscastle

I don't know what it is about August the sixteenth - I've already noted the wetness of that day here but this was absolutely nothing compared with the deluge they had in Northern Ireland. It seems that pretty well all of the province was affected with flooding the worst experienced for many a long year. Apart from numerous properties being flooded there were dramatic pictures on TV of an underpass (recently opened I think) which unbelievably was full to the brim with water. Looking at the weather maps it appears that all this precipitation came from the same system that made Saturday so unpleasant in the Tamar Valley. But here is the uncanny bit: this rainstorm happened four years after the Boscastle disaster - to the day! In truth though these were two very different weather events, the Boscastle/Crackington Haven flood in 2004 was due to a very very localised area of intense rain of some duration which never moved from that part of Cornwall. In fact ten or so miles away one might have wondered what the fuss was about! The topography and river systems of the area made the resultant damage much worse. In Ulster the rainfall was spread over a far wider area but nevertheless has caused some really severe problems.

There are those climate change deniers who will gleefully point out that there have always been extreme weather events and, yes, they are right. But what is happening now is that such occurrences aren't once or twice in a lifetime events, they are far more frequent than that. Climate change is happening, there is no doubt about that surely. The problem is that we just don't know for certain if this is partly or totally due to man's activities on this planet or whether it is just part of a natural cycle. Not knowing the answer for sure is a dilemma for mankind.

Boscastle's new bridge progresses

It was way back on the 12th of May I wrote a piece about the proposal to replace the old stone arched bridge in Boscastle's harbour area. The plans submitted at that time for an elegant steel structure provoked outrage in the community. Although I love Boscastle with a passion I blogged that trying to replicate the style of the old bridge but with a significantly greater span just wasn't on, the only solution being to construct something of a more contemporary appearance.

Now I must admit I hadn't been following the story since that time and was caught slightly on the hop when I saw television footage yesterday of the two precast concrete spans being lowered into position, the original design having been modified somewhat. Evidently the location of the new bridge is not quite where the old one is as we are told that the original structure is still there at the moment but will be demolished. From the pictures I've seen the new construction is quite a slender affair - I must make a visit in the Spring to see for myself.

There are places where you can look down on Boscastle's harbour area and I have a feeling that the new bridge will look far less offensive than the massive car park nearby full of shiny metal. But I don't really expect Boscastle's residents and visitors to see it that way!

Boscastle waits for its phone box

When Boscastle's flood occurred back in August 2004 the BT phone box in the harbour area got swept away. It was hoped that by now BT would have replaced said phone box but this has yet to happen. If you are familiar with the topography of Boscastle and its neighbourhood it will come as little surprise to be told that it is a dead zone for mobile phone reception. A North Cornwall District Councillor has stated that the village's information centre has had many requests to use their phone: things have got to the stage now that a petition has been started and local MP Dan Rogerson has got involved.

I'm trying to play Devil's Advocate here - I do have a little sympathy with BT I suppose in as much as phone boxes just aren't the piggy banks they used to be with so many folk now carrying mobiles. Many phone boxes must be making a loss. But the feeling so far as Boscastle is concerned is that the phone box really does need replacing in case an emergency happens and I think that argument is irrefutable.

Thinking about the geography of Cornwall with its many hills and valleys together with the fact that it has an exceptional number of small villages and hamlets then I would imagine that there are plenty of pockets in the countryside where there just isn't a signal. I remember that when the mobile phone thing got going in this country we had the absurd situation of masts being erected that catered for one company only. This led to complaints because the masts proliferated to a far greater extent than was necessary.

Back to Boscastle specifically. I think that there is a phone box at the top of the village but bearing in mind that the village is quite sizable and that huge numbers of tourists visit the harbour area (they mostly miss the delights of the higher parts of the village) then I think that BT needs to do some digital extraction and get this box replaced pronto.

Flooding at Boscastle - midsummer 2007

Less than 3 years after the epic flood of August 2004 Boscastle on the North Cornish coast has again been the recipient of a deluge. Reports indicate that damage now is not comparable with that earlier event but having said that there is two feet of flood water in some properties with the approach roads to Boscastle being impassable to normal traffic.

Good news is that the rivers Valency and Jordan appear to be containing their water, the flooding is due to run off from the surrounding hills and fields. But the rainstorm must be a horrible reminder of what happened before. The Environment Agency will be witnessing how things are working since they started implementing the flood scheme. No doubt today's events will be quite a news story tomorrow.

Furore over proposed bridge at Boscastle

Following the flood in August 2004 that devastated much of Boscastle and Crackington Haven on the North Cornish coast the conclusion was reached that the little bridge in the harbour area at Boscastle would have to be replaced. This is because the existing structure is not big enough to cope with this sort of weather event, something with a larger opening is required. There were thoughts of replacing the existing bridge with a similarly styled one in stone but it was considered that the new one would be too dominant (I agree). The alternative suggested is a lighter looking steel structure which I think from the pictures I've seen would be an elegant addition.

However the majority of locals don't seem to agree with this viewpoint! I think that there are a few occasions when you can't hang on to the past by building something which pretends to come from another era. A modern bridge here would act as a reminder of the rebuilding after the flood. On this subject one only has to look at the rebuilding of the little shop with the very wavy roof line in the harbour area (a former pig house I believe!). This may be good for the tourists but is make believe really - for instance building regs mean it is noticeably higher than before; it may have used much of the old materials but it is not the same building and I believe it is wrong to pretend it is. In other words I wouldn't have rebuilt it. Harsh words I know but I believe in honesty in the built environment.