Winchester MP Steve Brine was in the village many times during recent weeks meeting with residents and helping out and returned today (Thursday 6th March 2014) to chair a first post-flood meeting with local councillors.
The purpose of the session was to look at the village flood plan in the context of recent events and consider why major infrastructure investments recommended after the floods of 2000 were not pursued.
Steve Brine says; "In so many areas we have been faced with the awful truth that there is nowhere for excess groundwater to go but in Littleton there actually is but we need a pretty major piece of investment to effectively bypass the worst affected areas and it's so frustrating they have not happened because we know could make a major difference.
"This was a really useful session with local representatives to go through it all, to congratulate the village on how it responded to the past month but most importantly of all to start getting our ducks in a row to make a renewed bid via Hampshire County Council to put the investment in here."
The MP added that, while new infrastructure could be put in place and everything that could be done to lessen the impact of future ground-water flooding would be considered, there was a real need to manage expectations around the extent to which unprecedented weather events can be fully handled.
Harestock and Littleton Parish Council are holding a public meeting to hear from residents affected by recent flooding on Thursday 13th March at Littleton Memorial Hall.
More information ...
Harestock & Littleton Parish Council
Visit Steve Brine's dedicated flooding pages
READ and WATCH Steve's speech to the House of Commons (scroll forward to 6hrs 4 mins and 30 secs)
Steve helping out in Littleton
Attending the meeting were: Joan Burgess (Vice-Chair of the Parish Council), John Biddlecombe (Chairman of the Parish Council), Richard Stones and Stuart Adamson (residents representatives), Cllr James Byrnes (WCC) and Andy Hickman (WCC).