I thought I would drop a short update round as the incessant rain has continued to be, well, incessant. At least until the last few days.
This what I said at the beginning of February about the borehole near the pumping station:
“At the beginning of February 2026, the graph is on a steep upward slope, but we are still some way short of the 91 metre figure. Beyond the end of February and assuming we get some relief from this rain, then the stream may not rise at all and we also may not see the groundwater levels putting pressure on the sewage system. Maybe we will not see any sewage discharges this year also. “
To an extent I have to eat my words now, as a mere three weeks further on the gauge has hit 91.0m. This graph below run today covers a much shorter period of time and appears to show a more gradual rise in the levels, this is mostly because the graph is run over a shorter priod. But, you can see the curve is flattening out. It reflects the fact that the rain has eased substantially and even stopped over the past few days.
I have taken a walk down to the pumping station field over this last weekend. The stream is running and I can see out on Valley Road that a spring is rising in the ditch just outside, wait for it, Spring Rising. So, it’s getting closer.
It’s approximately here that the stream crosses the road to Buildbase and is then culverted under the industrial estate and then emerges along the back of gardens along Valley Road. Will it start flowing further up? We’ll have to wait and see. Importantly, at the moment the levels in the sewage inspection pits remains low.
You might be forgiven for thinking that the stream will flow up through Hughenden Valley this year given the large amounts of rain we have had through the winter period so far. But that may not be the case, and I have enclosed a diagram that may explain things a bit.
The graph shows the readings for the borehole at the bottom of Cryers Hill between November 2024 and the beginning of February 2026. The borehole has equipment which measures and reports on the groundwater level and that is what we see below. The levels detailed on the left of the graph are what are call datum levels; the figures compare to a reference point. So, for us in the valley, a figure of 90.0 metres shows the groundwater levels here are relatively low and the stream won’t be running in the vicinity of the pumping station.
This graph shows that the highest groundwater figures occur towards the end of winter, typically in February. From looking at the figures, when the reading exceeds 91.0 then the stream is likely to be flowing at the pumping station and also further up through the village from Warrendene. From memory, I believe the stream was flowing in the village from December onwards, which is quite early for it to flow. This shows itself on the graph, where the borehole reading was above 91 in December.
At the beginning of February 2026, the graph is on a steep upward slope, but we are still some way short of the 91 metre figure. Beyond the end of February and assuming we get some relief from this rain, then the stream may not rise at all and we also may not see the groundwater levels putting pressure on the sewage system. Maybe we will not see any sewage discharges this year also.
Warrendene
The last time we saw Warrendene flooding was 18th December, when again, Warrendene Road became a river. My understanding is that the front of the Harrow was flooded, but that water did not get inside the pub. Since then and despite the large rainfall in recent months, no further flooding of the pub or other property has happened. This goes to show that we can suffer large amounts of rainfall without flooding in the vally, but we simply cannot cope well (at present) with the severe bursts of rain that happen occasionally and which has caused much misery from flooding in the last few years in Warrendene.
Natural Flood Management Status
We have had a brief update from Andrew Morsley this month on where we are with things:
The Hughenden Valley project is now on hold while we await the contract to embark on phase 2 – implementation. Bucks Council are holding some budget that needs to be released and Bucks Council have applied for funding from Regional Floods Committee. We will then need to do a prioritisation exercise once we know the budget (we should know in March)
The feasibility report Andrew prepared for the Bucks Thames Natural Conservation Project will be available soon for public dissemation.
With regard to Bryants Bottom, who are not covered by the NFM project, Hughenden Parish Council have approved a grant for the village to obtain consultancy from Andrew for him to specify potential work to ease the flooding issues seen there. This is being followed up at present.
WhatsApp Group
It has been suggested that it might be worthwhile setting up a WhatsApp group for residents who see their properties at risk from the different forms of flooding we can see. This might be from hillside runoff, stream issues, sewage spillages etc.
I have seen a bit of interest if forming such a group. The idea would be to use it in exceptional circumstances such as when flooding may be about to happen or, indeed, has already happened. We would seek to use it really only for emergency purposes. Please let me know if you are interested in joining such a group.
There is a back sewer that runs through the Hopkins Farm field that faces onto Valley Road. The sewer then runs along the back of the row of the white cottages through to Boss Ln where there is a junction with the Boss Ln sewer. This sewer had been causing spillages in the farm field and in late January started spilling into the garden of Woodland Cottage on Valley Road.
After many visits by Thames Water, including removal of a partial blockage, a tankering operation and CCTV work, we think this problem is now sorted, although we have not received confirmation of this from TW.
Floods Meeting
We are expecting a community meeting to be finalised for late this month to address the flooding issues in the Warrendene area and Bryants Bottom. This meeting is not a direct replacement for the cancelled meeting with Jilly Jordan but is with Andrew Morsley of the River Thame Conservation Trust, who has been spearheading the Natural Flood Management analysis in our area. There will also likely be representatives from Bucks Council we understand.
We will be putting leaflets through the doors of houses in Warrendene Road as far as Perks, from the Harrow along Valley Rd to the Hopkins field, also in Bryants Bottom. The meeting will be of particular interest to those affected by the flooding but is a public one and other interested residents are very welcome.
Program of Work in Warrendene & Bryants
Work on the Warrendene Rd ditch and drainage network was expected to start the week commencing 23 February but did not. We are presently pursuing this but may be 11-12 March.
This is scheduled to take place next week starting 23rd February. My understanding is that the initial focus is on clearance and deepening of the ditch, but they should additionally be jetting the drains as well. I am also hopeful that several reported drainage problems will be resolved at this point. At a later point the road drains will be removed and replaced with larger models.
It will be helpful if you can keep an eye open for any work relating to your own particular issue. I will be visiting several times to see what is happening and will try to check in with James Tunnard during the period of the work.
Sewage Issues near the Village hall
I am glad to say that the garden flooding experienced at Woodland Cottage in Valley Road has been resolved for the present – a partial blockage was found in the back sewer down near its junction with the Boss Lane sewer.
However, Matt Hopkins reports that the levels in that sewer remain high and that TW have indicated that the sewer is overloaded from the park through to High Wycombe. TW are believed to be working to alleviate this.
As a result of this the network is backing up towards Hughenden Valley. Hopefully, this is not a sign of problems to come for us near the village hall. I have checked my inspection pit this morning – it is perhaps 10% full, it was empty this time last week.
This update only affects residents in the lower end of Hughenden Valley in the village hall aea.
You may have noticed TW and Lanes Drains vehicles have been putting in an appearance quite frequently over the past few weeks.
There is a back sewer that runs through Matt Hopkins’ field that faces onto Valley Road. The sewer then runs along the back of the row of the white cottages through to Boss Ln where there is a junction with the Boss Ln sewer and the one that runs along the back of the houses from Herrison House. The Boss Ln sewer then joins the main sewer in Valley Rd.
Matt had experienced a sewage leak in his field from one of his inspection pits before Christmas and again in January. It has taken several visits to resolve this – a blockage of some sort. Subsequently, one of the white cottages on Valley Rd has been suffering considerable discharge of sewage over a prolonged period in the last few weeks. The garden is seriously flooded but repeated visits by TW have not resolved this problem. Their efforts have essentially diagnosed a ‘Hydraulic Overload’ (too much water) whereas we consider this to be a blockage of some sort.
It is clear that this back sewer is mostly full and what’s more is that this fullness appears to run up to the main sewer and then along to the bus stop opposite the village hall. We are pushing TW to start tankering and investigate what is going on here. They are promising to respond. Our main concern is for them to get a handle on this and ensure that the initial sewage spill is properly resolved and that no other residents are affected. Fingers crossed they get their act together on this.
I have checked my front drive inspection pit this morning and this is quite empty, which is how it should be and suggests the main sewer is running normally. However, this does not accord with TW reporting that the level of the sewer opposite the village hall is high. It may be worth checking the level in your inspection pit.
I am sure that many of you were disappointed and not a little irritated that the planned January 14th Floods Meeting was cancelled at very short notice. This was because Cllr Jilly Jordan herself was called away on urgent business and we felt we had no option other than to cancel the meeting. However, we have been hard at work since then and I think this update can provide some optimism for the future.
Our initial thoughts had been to coordinate a new date soon, perhaps in the first half of February. However, since then, David Carroll our local Bucks Cllr, has been successful in arranging an on-site meeting for the DIG with Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport who has responsibility for highways drainage. This meet-up happened earlier this week.
This was a very constructive meeting and we learnt from Steve about a program of work initiated by Highways along Warrendene Rd and Bryants.
Program of Work in Warrendene & Bryants
This work will include:
Cutting back of grass & undergrowth along the edge of the Warrendene ditch. Many of you will have seen this work has already started.
From 23rd February work will start using heavy machinery to clear out the ditch along its length. Apparently, this has not been done for 8 years so very timely.
Road drains will be cleared through to the ditch. At a later point (and subject to capital budget) the road drains will be changed over to larger models.
The ditch on Hampden Rd (up above the Warrendene crossroads) will be cleared out.
The section of the Bryants Bottom Rd between Warrendene and Bryants Bottom that is prone to flooding will be dealt with. This will involve clearance of undergrowth at the roadside and the creation of a runoff area.
Natural Flood Management
I have also been able to obtain an update from Andrew Morsley about the Natural Flood Management project. The significance of this is that he expects his field work, analysis and report production work to be completed soon. His intention is to hold a meeting with interested residents at the Hughenden Valley Village Hall very likely in March, which the HVRA DIG will coordinate for him. I am hopeful this meeting will provide us with some answers as to how the flood water from the Hampden area can be alleviated.
The nett result of this progress of events is that we are decided that it will not be beneficial at this stage to organise an early follow-up to the Floods Meeting. We will instead concentrate on a March meeting and we will also invite Jilly Jordan to talk at that meeting. Meanwhile I hope that this update provides some welcome relief regarding the flooding problems experienced as it shows our concerns are being noticed and acted upon. Our thanks to all the residents who have shown interest in this situation and who frequently monitor, report problems to the council and even get their hands dirty doing routine maintenance jobs such as clearing drain tops and blocked grids.
The Stream is Up
Those living in the southern part of Hughenden Valley, typically near the pumping station, will be aware that the stream is rising and starting to run in the watercourses/ditches in our back gardens. As you know, the rising of the stream works its way backwards though the village up to Warrendene. So, if it’s not running with you presently, it likely will soon.
This is a good time for all residents who have the stream run through their garden, to check and clear the watercourse of rubbish, leaves and other detritus. It is your responsibility to ensure that the watercourse is kept clear under the laws of Riparian Responsibilities.
The stream running at this stage of the winter is often a sign that groundwater will be getting into the sewage network and perhaps causing issues with sewage spillages. Thames Water have clearly been visiting the area, doing CCTV surveys and clearing some blockages here and there. We can only hope that the network copes this year, as we don’t really want to see the installation of pumping equipment like happened last year.
A meeting has been organised with Jilly Jordan, the Bucks Council Deputy Cabinet Member Environment and Climate Change. This will take place in the HVVH small hall on Tuesday 14th January at 7.30pm. This meeting will be for the HVRA committee plus residents that have been directly affected by the flooding near the Harrow and similarly affected residents in Bryants Bottom. These residents will be contacted by a leaflet drop.
It is anticipated that a further meeting will be held with a wider audience later to present potential NFM measures, as below. We are then hoping that any promised NFM work would be combined with improvements by Bucks Council to the drainage network.
The DIG are trying to get a meeting with Steve Broadbent, the Cabinet Member for Transport, but has been met with no response so far.
Natural Flood Management Work
Andrew Morsley’s work has continued this month, this includes covering Bryants Bottom in has analysis. BB suffered bad flooding in 2018, but this continues to be a threat, mostly from field runoff.
Andrew has indicated that once he has completed his field work, he will develop the concept for natural flood management opportunities for Hughenden. He will then build a model to verify them. The plan then is to host an event in early 2025 for the local community to go through the opportunities and prioritise them.
Paper Submitted to Flood Response Committee
The committee findings report from the inquiry has been circulated to the DIG distribution and has been placed on the DIG website on the documents page for wider access.
Thames Water
I have a done a chase up on Maisie Banks, out TW customer representative. She has confirmed that the analysis promised for a hydro-brake for Hughenden Valley is still very much ongoing. No promise of a date on that, which is less of a surprise.
Another flooding event happened in the Warrendene area, on Saturday 19th October following a prolonged downpour. The Harrow was flooded internally as was at least one of the houses along Valley Road towards Deeters.
Following efforts by David Carroll on our behalf, he has been able to hold an online meeting with Jilly Jordan, the Bucks Council Deputy Cabinet Member Environment and Climate Change. She has provided us with a detailed letter, with input provided by the Flood Management team. This is attached for you to read.
Jilly has agreed to a meeting with us and residents in the New Year. HVRA DIG intend that this this meeting should be a start in getting a Capital Works project underway for Warrendene.
HVRA will discuss this letter with David Carroll at the Tuesday 5th Nov monthly meeting. We have noted several inconsistencies in the letter and will reply to Jilly in the next few days about them. Meanwhile, it is attached for you to read.
Update from Andrew Morsley on Natural Flood Management
As you know, Andrew is engaged through Bucks Council investigating the causes and producing potential solutions to the surface water making its way down to and causing flooding in Warrendene. Andrew reports:
I have installed a camera at Winnies cottage and a pressure transducer in the ditch on Warrendene rd. We captured the storm 10 days or so ago. I will retrieve camera data next week:
I have meeting with a number of landowners, including Hampden estate this week. I will follow up with site visits in the coming weeks. If appropriate I will invite you along.
Modelling has been been commissioned; I expect initial results in December.
We have spoken to the council about property flood resilience (PFR ) and they have agreed that this can form part of our recommendations and they are exploring funding options.
Paper Submitted to Flood Response Committee
We provided a paper to the Bucks Select Committee on Flood Response in mid-September, which was circulated to the DIG.
The committee has just issued its findings from the inquiry. I will circulate that in the next week or two.
I am sorry if you are a subscriber to the HVRA website and regularly receive notices of events etc from the website.
I have just been in the process of updating the DIG blog where I normally post articles on a regular basis, but had fallen behind in doing this. I hadn’t realised all the updates would be posted out to subscribers.
Hughenden Valley Residents Association 