In the event of a flood.

[Louis M]

What specifically is in place that stops the town flooding? Does it have something to do with the weir? Has the Barge ever flooded?

[2929paul]

I think that because all our rivers have natural floods plains that are as yet undeveloped, as well as well maintained sluices and weirs, the only major flooding I can remember has been when the Beane flooded Port Vale back in the 60s because of a blockage at the sluice down river. Essentially human error.

600 Cowbridge Flood 060.jpg (137.52KiB)Viewed 16526 times

[Marilyn]

In case you wonder that photo of Monday 30 Sept 1968 is one I have been given and got Admin to put it on for me...................I remember going through it on a coal lorry on my way home from school. Thankfully they fixed the problem and those upstream have not made that error again!

[Louis M]

My God... I have never seen that photo. How far did the flood waters extend?

[buzz]

At the time my mother worked at Hertford County and she got a lift in the bucket of the vehicle shown in order to get back to Bengeo!

[Golden]

Hi Louis, there used to be a mark on one of the houses and I seem to remember it was 1 Port Hill but I've just looked on Google maps/street-view and can't see it. The water at its height was quite a bit higher that it is in the picture. The Beane has flooded many times and I remember when I lived in Molewood Road in the early 90's having about a foot of water in the street.

Nearest reference I can find on the web are these amazing pictures of Watton.

http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/page_id ... 8p37p.aspx

[Louis M]

Cheers John, those pics are mad.

[Marilyn]

Thought you would like the photo of Cowbridge!

There is also a photo in one of the books on Hertford of the bottom of Nelson Street and Port Vale. It got pretty high there as well.

Millmead Way would have been underwater had it been there!

[Taxing]

I remember in the early/mid 1970s the end of Port Vale under the scooby doo bridge and the bottom of Nelson Street getting severely flooded and only McMullen lorries large enough to get through. Although I was only a child at the time so it may have seemed a lot deeper than it actually was

[Marilyn]

I remember in the early/mid 1970s the end of Port Vale under the scooby doo bridge and the bottom of Nelson Street getting severely flooded and only McMullen lorries large enough to get through. Although I was only a child at the time so it may have seemed a lot deeper than it actually was

Could that have been the same date? Sept 1968? Has it flooded since?