We have seen devastating scenes in recent weeks in Hereford as torrential rain led to parts of the city being deluged with water. Those old enough will remember the flood of 1960 that, quite literally, divided the city into two. It was, according to contemporary Met Office Records, the greatest flood on record.
Pictures of cyclists going about their business through the floods on Bishop’s Meadow are rather entertaining. However, they belie the drama that unfolded in people’s lives – and sometimes living rooms – across the city and up and down the river as the water from the Wye kept on rising.
Blitz spirt is a term that often arises when people behave well in extraordinary circumstances. So, it was in 1960 on Edgar Street when a touch of flood water didn’t stop the milk man determining to deliver all his pints.
It was even more dramatic downstream at sleepy Hampton Bishop, when the deluge they exprienced took on epic proportions. The twelve-foot embankment along the bank of the Wye, known as the Stank, gave way under the pressure from sheer volume of water, and millions upon millions of gallons of water swept across the village, lanes, fields, houses, garages, barns, and stables.
We question whether there is any link to modern conditions given that Govt policies are largely to blame for the flooding we see in 2019. The problem arises further upstream. In 1960 my grandfather was Chairman of the NFU and Young Farmers Council; my mother cannot remember any such incidence. There is no image of the Edgar Street stadium in the photo (above). Furthermore I remember cyclists circa 2002 on the Bishops Meadows south of the river. There is no doubt the Environment Agency (EA) is not fit for purpose , should be scrapped and prosecuted for criminal negligence.
Having just watched afternoon live on the BBC news channel and being an old herefordian i was amazed to hear the Chairman of Hereford County Council refer to this present flooding the worst for 200 years absolute tosh 1960 was the worst. I can remember my Father Edward Harris who owned Harris’s cafe in Broad st actually taking hot meals to residents near the rowing club and was rowed out by boat while people dropped baskets down from upstairs to recieve their meals!!! Bridget Harris
Hi Bridget I think what they are referring to as ‘the worst ever’ is the river level has never been as high there are better flood protections in place since the 60s floods which do help with the effects. So many people have been badly affected this time around and the boats are yet again being deployed and I’m sure many hot meals have been delivered, such a devastating thing these floods old and new.