Hadnall residents to meet next week over flood concerns in the village

It will aim to highlight concerns about the village’s flood plain, the capacity of existing infrastructure, and concerns for potential further housing development before upgrades to sewage and flood prevention systems are completed.

Mr Cawthorne said Hadnall has been prone to periodic flooding after heavy rainfall and shared pictures of gardens submerged by water.

In October, residents faced struggles due to flooding, and only large vehicles such as tractors could go in and out of the village.

"I am very much looking forward to it and there is already a lot of interest in the meeting and wider area," said Mr Cawthorne.

"It has been an issue for a while but the new houses that have been built seem to have made it worse.

"My worry is adding more new houses before the Monkmoor sewage treatment works are upgraded, is a recipe for extraordinary environmental and human disaster.

"Several people in the village are already suffering sewage coming back up their toilets, and that is intolerable.

"I am hoping that it will be a national test case of the perils of developing before planning. I don’t see why people who buy these new houses should have to put up with sewage problems as an unintended consequence of buying it."

An agenda for the meeting, that is being backed and promoted by the parish council, asks residents to come along and share their experiences.

It adds: "Should more houses be built on the Hadnall flood plain before the sewage station and backflow pipework are upgraded?"

This week, Hadnall Parish Council invited residents to share their experiences with surface water and sewerage flooding in the village.

A post said: "The information submitted will help the Parish Council in its efforts to address these problems with Severn Trent, Shropshire Council, and developers. The information will also be shared with Helen Morgan MP who is joining with efforts to tackle flooding issues in North Shropshire."

Severn Trent Water said it will be coordinating a meeting between themselves, Shropshire Council and Environment Agency to understand flooding issues in the area, and would then host a public event so that meaningful solutions can be discussed with the community and so residents' questions can be addressed. 

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "Understanding the issues and engaging with the communities where we operate is really important, and we understand just how distressing any form of flooding can be.

"However, there are a complex set of circumstances in Hadnall, and our intention has always been to convene a meeting with Shropshire County Council and the Environment Agency to fully understand the issues and work out the best way to address them. 

"We will then have a public meeting with all agencies present where we can hopefully offer meaningful solutions and answers to the community’s questions."