The answer here is undoubtedly the decision to not hold the line of the north Wantsum sea defences, the problem here being that people forget what happens when we have a serious tidal surge storm.In the map above, click here to enlarge, the grey area shows the Wantsum channel and the area that the sea would eventually reclaim without these defences.
Having recently published a book on our local railways I am more inclined to be interested in the other local railway books, so I was interested to read today that during the 1953 storm the railway and the land around it was simply washed away, thousands of tons of chalk had to be brought in to fill the land and the sea defences were rebuilt to a higher standard, the railway was closed for five months.
Now the environment agency the same people who don’t seem to be protecting our environment to 1995 standards have recommended letting these sea defences be left unmaintained until the sea washes them away.
The picture shows the work of replacing the land between Reculver and Bichington click here to enlarge it
A suggestion Michael, Realign the railway line alonside the Tahnet Way, Put the road and rail together on a levee, and use that as a new strongly defended sea wall. Same on the other side of the Isle, use the newly created salt marshes as a buffer against storms, The new strongly defended sea walls should be able to deal with Tidal surges. I hasten to add that I am not expressing any specific support to any solution, just 'Floating the Boat' so to speak.
ReplyDeleteYou do try Michael. But zero comments says a lot about Thanet.
ReplyDeleteThe most important issue is the alleged supply of Thanet made unreliable (including sabotaged) backup generators to nuclear shut down roles.
It was a Russian diesel emergency generator at Chernobyl which failed and the plant was unable to complete an emergency shut down. So this is the ball park consequence of unreliable or sabotaged backups.
In the 90s Kent police (without so much as seeking an expert opinion) were confident it could not happen here. Then occurred the three Dounreay incidents and other incidents of backup failure on nuclear power roles like Hunterston B ( a close call approaching criticality when grid power was restored and Hunterston used that to power their cooling systems on shut down. So Kent Police were wrong.
In the 90s Kent Police (without so much as seeking an expert opinion) were confident that backups could not fail on hospitals. Now we have new security of electrical supply to hospitals regs after some years of my reporting to ministers including Tony Blair from 2005. So Kent Police were wrong.
In the 90s Kent Police (without so much as seeking an expert opinion) thought that no one would take seriously my position that there was and is terrorist sabotage consistent with Stage 3 of the original IRA terrorist campaign plan. Well General De Chasterlain reported his concerns that sabotage was not in his terms of reference (about two weeks before Kent's last Chief constable jumped ship and left the force in the handfs of a caretaker Chief constable) So Kent Police were wrong
Now there is a joint university academic study published of terrorist threats to hospitals. So Kent Police were wrong again.
In 1989 Kent Police did not think it worth pursuing whether an associate of an alleged saboteur (consistent with Stage 3 IRA Plan) had gained work with Reliance Security at Deal Barracks. Well a big bang rather suggests that if a proper inquiry had occurred that eleven Royal Marine deaths were preventable. Kent Police wrong again.
And now there is the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry. The facts are that Kent Police Authority called on Chief constable for inquiry in August 97 into the above matters. This call was open at the time Bill Hayton allegedly concealed this fact on oath at Aldwych High Court in 98.
This call was open and subject of requests to Home Secretary in 99 when Kent's Chief constable (refusing to investigate terrorist collusion in his own county) was deployed to the Rosemary Nelson murder case in Ulster.
Tied up in all this are the Phillip SEED custody death at Margate 1995 and the Pc Hills and Burgess prisoner broken neck case tried in 98 and the Pc Bluestone family murder case. And the questions arising about the Attorney General de facto extending immunity in SEED Decd to Kent Police officers and then potentially extending that immunity to Kent Police and Bill Hayton should they be called in evidence before the Rosaemary Nelson judicial inquiry.
The fact is that if I had left things in 96 then London and South East would have been blacked out by IRA for six months (Read the Old Bailey case of 96)
Left to kent Police you would have had a six month power cut with all the consequences of that including the possibility that nuclear power plant backups would have failed during their emergency shut downs and you would have had a multiple Chernobyl as well.
And if the lights had gone out and you got public broadcast warnings on yer car radios (which would have been difficult as the BBC emergency generator later incident shew as soon as called it blew up and caught the studio alight)
Perhaps the police would have driven amongst the traffic chaos asking people to pack for a 300 year overseas nuclear set aside holiday.
Can you imagine Thanet then Michael ?
"Oh ECR and Bertie why didn't anyone stop this" Whinge whinge oh me computer not working can't even whinge to Bertie and ECR now.
Well thank your lucky stars I did get two tory MPs to go over Kent Police heads to MI5 then.
So that is the most serious issue Michael.
I see Ken pipped me to the post there.
ReplyDeleteBe aware Ken that Kent Chief constable was put under challenge on these issues as part of my High Court statements of truth when I issued proceedings against Suffolk's (now ex) Chief constable in 2006.
The FACT is that under challenge Kent Chief constable elects silence and refuses to declare that no sabotage consistent with Stage 3 of IRA Garland Plan occurred in Kent.
Such sabotage is subject to Treason law and so no one has that right of silence.
Ken my understanding is that due to lack of maintenance the sluice that is supposed to let the river water out and prevent the sea water from getting in is now working backwards, so when we have another tidal surge things are going to be pretty bad. In 1953 1,800 people drowned now I am told that properly maintained the sea defences built after the 1953 are enough to prevent this area from flooding in another storm. It is quite likely that in the next 20 to 100 years global warming will mean that these defences will become inadequate and something like you suggest will be necessary at the cost of god knows how many millions, but now while they are adequate and can be maintained at moderate cost, as they have been for the last 50 years, to risk peoples lives in this way and to set us all up for the colossal cost of retrieving our main road and railway madness.
ReplyDeleteThis is even more serious than risking our drinking water reservoir, if it happened that China Gateway went ahead without the stringent level of environmental precautions set for the previous developments there, which is what the EA seem to be prepared to let happen I was going to call for the reservoir not to be used because of the risk, however the EA also tell me that the reservoir is essential to meet our basic needs for water, what a mess. I am afraid you guys need to address basic issues of public safety before considering grandiose plans.
Rick, I thought you had retired?
ReplyDeleteRick what you appear to be talking about is a national issue and this blog relates to local issues and history and frankly it would be helpful if you could sick to the point and apply your indigence to the problem in hand.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that there is an underlying issue of lack of hope in Thanet. This lack has led to people "giving up" with the result that aside from the likes of you and I there are very few people left fighting the good fight. If there were a way to return hope to the people of Thanet then a corporate "no way buddy!" might easily be sounded from the island as a whole. I fear we need to see some easy victories...
ReplyDeleteI suppose I should also add that I fully see your point about it being a dangerous choice but I wonder if the reasoning has been made public or could be?
I am sorry to say that apathy in Thanet has been around for as long as I can remember. I agree that it is disheartening and can only hope more people read the blogs and realise what is happening. I have been fighting my corner on issues for years and felt I was a lone voice in the wilderness. Old age has happened now so fighting is over but I haven't quite given up on hope.
ReplyDeleteSet your flood levels here:-
ReplyDeletehttp://flood.firetree.net/?ll=51.3431,1.3596&z=6&m=3