Abingdon: MP says flood workers are absent due to conflict training

The Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said her constituents near the River Ock have experienced flooding twice this year.

On Monday, she told MPs: “I can’t imagine what they must be feeling. When I visited them in September, they said they felt very lonely.”

Moran added that promised flood protection and sandbagging have not been implemented.

She said: “When we asked the EA today whether it would be on the ground, we were told it couldn’t send enough people – not because it didn’t have the staff or money, but because not enough of them had completed the workplace assessment and training on how to avoid being attacked by angry residents.

“Of course staff safety is paramount and Environment Agency staff deserve our thanks, but an element of common sense certainly needs to be exercised.”