STORM Bert battered Monmouth and surrounding areas over the weekend, with two red flood alerts declared for the area.

Danger to life warnings were declared in Skenfrith, and lower Osbaston, where the local primary school again found its grounds under water.

Residents of Skenfrith were counting the cost in a clean-up operation on Monday when over two inches of water (58mm) dropped in a few hours.

The record levels of the River Monnow caused havoc to property and brought despair for residents with memories of 2020’s Storm Dennis still fresh in their minds.

For some residents, the flood alert came too late to move furniture upstairs and despite flood barriers installed after Dennis, most houses in the village were affected.

One resident told the Beacon that they did have barriers installed which although didn’t stop the water, “it didn’t flood in the same manner as previously”.

Others said that the barriers offered some protection, but still let smaller amounts of water in without the ‘wave’ effect.

Teams from South Wales Fire and Rescue (SWFRS) arrived at Skenfrith at 2pm on Sunday following the ‘threat to life’ warning and deployed two dinghies to rescue residents who wanted to leave their properties.

By now, the river level had risen to 4.94 metres, higher than the previous 4.8 metre record set by Storm Dennis.

Skenfrith has been identified as a flood risk, and a flood defense project has been delayed. The project is stalled due to a lack of a project manager. However, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has stated that they remain committed to managing flood risk in the area.

Osbaston Primary, Overmonnow Primary, Kymin View Primary, Llandogo Primary, Monmouth Comprehensive,

Usk Church in Wales Primary, Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy, Llantillio Pertholey Church in Wales Primary , and Cross Ash Primary were all closed on Monday following the weekend deluge.

In Monmouth on Sunday, Osbaston Road was closed to traffic from the junction with the Hereford Road to Chaucer Way as the Monnow cut off Vauxhall Bridge, the cemetery and part of the school.

Wonastow Road from the junction by Bridges was closed due to flooding, while further along by the Co-op, Rockfield Road was also impassable.

The Trothy was pouring across the Mitchel Troy road beside Monmouth Civic Tip, with the road further along also underwater.

And the A40 dual carriageway between Raglan and Abergavenny was also shut due to surface water, while the Hardwick to Llanarth alternative was also deluged.

There were also reports of flooding and a crash at Whitchurch on Sunday morning on the A40.

Meanwhile, the lower road from Maypole to Tregate Bridge was four feet deep in water, but that didn't prevent one intrepid runner wading through.

Questions are now being asked as to why the flood alerts did not come sooner and help residents prevent a repeat of the 2020 flood damage with NRW taking the brunt of the criticism after kicking the can of flood alleviation measures for the border village of Skenfrith down the road.

In 2020, Jeremy Parr, head of incident and flood risk management at NRW, said: “The decision to defer our work to explore flood risk management options at Skenfrith has not been taken lightly.

"We have had to review all of our flood-related projects planned for this year right across Wales, taking into consideration the existing commitments we have to projects already in progress or near completion, and take some difficult decisions on the scheduling of new projects as a result."

He added: “As we approach the autumn and winter months, we recognise that residents will understandably have concerns about the risk of flooding to homes and businesses within their communities – particularly those who have been personally impacted by flooding over recent years.

“We understand the anxiety this short delay may cause to residents."

However, he stressed that the decision "does not mean that we are in any way reneging on our commitment to Skenfrith, or that it is a lower priority for us".

"We remain committed to exploring flood risk management options for this community," he said.

The MP for Monmouth at the time, David TC Davies, said the news was “bitterly disappointing.

“Residents were led to believe work was progressing, with the appointment of a project team to develop an initial assessment study into a strategic outline case,” he said.

“This is obviously a very disappointing setback. While I realise it is not a personal decision, I do hope NRW officials will be acutely aware of just how concerned and anxious residents will feel.

“It means yet more waiting and, in the meantime, Skenfrith remains a flood risk.”