KEETCH VISITS FLOOD DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION SITE

5.17.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 25th Sep 2007

Hereford MP, Paul Keetch, today toured the £5.5million flood defence scheme being constructed on the south bank of the River Wye in Hereford. He was joined by contractors, representatives of the Environment Agency and Sarah Carr, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire.

"I am delighted that after years of hard work this scheme is now well and truly underway," said Mr Keetch, who was instrumental in obtaining government funding to allow the scheme to go ahead.

"Although Hereford city wasn't affected by recent floods, other parts of the county and region were and once again we saw the damage and devastation that flooding can cause. However, hundreds of homes now in Hereford city can look forward to a flood defence scheme being in placed by next spring to protect them against future events.

"I was able to see this morning the heights of walls and bunds that are being built and it is clear to me that some of the hysterical comment by people who do not live locally was misplaced about the impact on the local environment. All the trees that had to be removed have already been taken out and it is hard to distinguish the effect that this has had. I am sure that once the project is completed those prospective Members of Parliament who tried to hitch their wagon to the environmentalist cause will wish to apologise for the scaremongering they participated in.

"I was particularly impressed to see how the King George V memorial gate was being dismantled brick by brick. Each brick is being numbered so that when it is rebuilt it will be rebuilt as it was - again this shows the care that is being taken by the Environment Agency and contractors in putting in this scheme.'

Mr Keetch will visit the Ross on Wye flood defence scheme on Thursday of this week, which is also underway in the town.