RESIDENTS and businesses in Bradford on Avon were on Friday (January 13) mopping up and pumping out flood water after the Environment Agency 'abandoned' them to their fate.
They were left to put up their own defences when the River Avon burst its banks in the Bull Pit area and flooded nearby properties.
The decision was condemned by locals, some of whom said they felt they had been 'abandoned' by the agency.
James Sullivan-Tailyour, owner of The Swan Hotel, said: “I have not heard anything. I have had no direct contact from them offering some advice or assistance.”
This morning he was trying to mop around four inches of flood waters out of his cellar bar and said it would take all day to put things right.
Like many residents and businesses, he had received little or no warning, and had been left to install his own flood defences to protect his property.
Mr Sullivan-Tailyour said he “had sort of expected” his cellar bar to flood because the water literally pours out of the walls.
“The main effect, due to the lack of flood barriers, is the access to the riverside entrance to the hotel and our car park.
“First thing this morning, the car park was full of water and you could not walk through it. It affects our business opportunities because people think we are closed.”
Chris Bowyer, 78, who lives in the Bull Pit, said he had only received a warning phone call from the agency after the river level had already risen.
“I received a phone call from them yesterday afternoon between 4.30pm and 5pm,” he said. “By that time, it was already dark and I struggled to install my flood defence barrier.”
This morning, he was installing a small pump to pump out the water of The Courtyard entrance over the barrier and back into the Bull Pit.
It will take much longer for him to pump out the 15 inches of water in his garage and says the bill is likely to cost “a few thousand pounds.”
He has a £10,000 excess on each of the insurance policies for three properties he owns but says it will “not be worth” making a claim.
“It’s a bit stressful because when it is happening you don’t know how high it is going to get,” he said. “I just feel sorry for my tenants.”
These include The Courtyard Hair Salon and funeral directors C S Bowyer who were forced to close and no-one was available to comment.
A third tenant who occupies a small flat is away on holiday and has escaped the floods caused by heavy rainfall overnight.
At the Bread & Butter takeaway sandwich shop in Silver Street, Victor Mestre had mopped “a little bit” of water from his kitchen at the rear.
“I am crossing my fingers that it’s not going to get any worse. They tell us we now have to rely on our own flood defences.”
He lives in Oxford and had forgotten to install his flood defence barrier before leaving his property on Thursday evening.
The current river level at Bradford on Avon is 2.26 metres and rising but it is nowhere near the highest level of 3.42m recorded on December 24, 2013 when the whole town centre flooded.
The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for the Middle and Upper Bristol Avon areas, including Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Melksham, Bathford and Malmesbury which are still active.
Locals reported flooded lanes in the Westwood and Freshford areas, and the B3105 at Forwood Common at Staverton was closed. 
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