A Wiltshire woman fears that a recent planning decision could cause her to re-live “panicked” nights of flooding chaos.

This comes after residents of Ferguson Close in Chippenham were left to dig ditches and build their own dams on a “freezing” cold and “pitch black” January evening, as heavy rain caused floods across their neighbourhood.

Janet Morgan, 58, is concerned that Wiltshire Council’s approval of the adjacent sixth phase of the Hunters Moon development will bring further flooding to her doorstep if the drainage problems are not addressed.

Phase six will see an additional 56 homes built at the development, which has planning permission for up to 450 dwellings.

READ MORE: New Wiltshire homes completed at Hunters Moon development, Chippenham

Ms Morgan said residents dealing with the floods were freezing cold.Ms Morgan said residents dealing with the floods were freezing cold. (Image: Public contribution) Bloor Homes has said it has been working to ensure any issues are resolved.  

Ms Morgan has dealt with flooding on two occasions since living in Ferguson Close, the first occurring in the early hours of January 7, 2023 and the second the following year, on the evening of January 4, 2024.

According to her, on both occasions, Bloor did not answer the emergency contact number for over an hour.

During the most recent flood, Ms Morgan said residents took matters into their own hands.

She explained: “Where they dug the ditches, they were taking the great big lumps of grass and basically built a dam across our driveway to stop the water going up our drive.”

She added: “Their arms, their coats, everything, covered in mud. We were all freezing cold.”

SEE ALSO: Phase six of Chippenham's Hunters Moon project approved

According to Ms Morgan, Bloor personnel arrived after 2.5 hours to help and arranged tankers to pump the excess water away.According to Ms Morgan, Bloor personnel arrived after 2.5 hours to help and arranged tankers to pump the excess water away. (Image: Public contribution) Ms Morgan is registered disabled and described feeling “helpless” because she couldn’t help with the digging.

“I was panicking,” she said.

Ms Morgan also noted that she fell off the pavement into the water and “spent the next three hours out there in soaking wet clothes”.

She added that it wasn’t the first time she has had issues with drainage, having previously had sewage waste “all over” her garden and in her shower.

With the latest phase of the Hunters Moon development now approved by Wiltshire Council, Ms Morgan reports being “totally” stressed as the winter draws in, regularly checking the nearby stream and photographing the level to monitor it.

She claims she still hasn’t had a “satisfactory answer” to her concerns and that they have not been adequately recorded in the minutes of the northern area planning committee meetings.

A spokesperson from Bloor Homes said: “We are aware of historic issues at Chippenham and have been working with local councillors, the local authority and other stakeholders to ensure any issues on the development are resolved.

“We can also confirm that following the recent prolonged rainfall event, there have been no issues with the drainage system, which suggests the system as designed can cope with long duration low intensity rainfall events.”

When discussing the matter at a planning meeting, Max Thergood, director of civil engineering, said: “The phase six drainage system is designed so that a rainfall event up to an annual probability of one in a hundred years, with an allowance for climate change, will be managed on-site in areas of attenuation before being released at a controlled rate.”

He added: “The proposed phase six surface water drainage will connect into the phase two drainage system, where an allowance was made for this parcel to connect, taking these flows directly into the phase two attenuation basin, before being released further downstream below the Ferguson Drive culvert.

“This change lowers the volume of water in the water course upstream of Ferguson Drive, reducing the flood risk.”

Cllr Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development management at Wiltshire Council, said: “Committee minutes are not a verbatim record of the meeting and will not include every point that may be raised, they capture the substance of councillor questions and debate.

"The committee will consider the minutes at the next meeting and approve them as an accurate record of the meeting."

He added: “All of the comments we receive in relation to a planning application are considered, and those which raise material planning considerations will be taken into account.”