§ 124. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the continued flooding of the Eb[...]w River on the Newport—Cardiff Road, which rose to about two feet during the recent floods, preventing all traffic on the main road; that this is caused by the silting in the river bed from colliery refuse and washing sludge; that the floods are of increasing frequency and severity, rendering surrounding land unfit for any form of agriculture; and whether he will appoint an inspector to hold an inquiry.
§ Mr. G. BrownI am fully aware of the flooding from the River Ebbw which occurs in the area of the Newport—Cardiff road. On 28th May last the Monmouthshire County Council applied to me to set up a catchment area and board to deal with this and other problems in the district, and in accordance with the requirements of Section 2 (2) of the Land Drainage Act, 1930, I consulted the four other local authorities concerned. I am still awaiting the final decision of two of the authorities. If all five authorities can reach agreement on the proposal I will 329W deposit my draft order for setting up the catchment area without delay. The first essential, in my view, is to secure the widest possible measure of agreement, and I do not feel that the holding of a formal inquiry would serve any useful purpose at this stage.