AS the Environment Agency promises to make flooding in Waltham Abbey a thing of the past, reporter EDMUND TOBIN looks at the town's waterlogged history

THE new 715 metre long earth embankment on the outskirts of Waltham Abbey can contain the equivalent of 303 Olympic pools worth of water.

With the town's long history of floods, its inhabitants are breathing a sigh of relief.

Due to Waltham Abbey's location in a valley, the historic town has had an equally historic reputation for flooding over the years with a major incident occurring roughly every decade.

Local historian Ray Sears has collected a photographic archive of floods in the last century which he opened for Guardian readers to see.

He said: “The river flooded seven or eight times over the last century. It comes from Cobbins Brook out of Epping and North Weald. We are in a valley so when they get heavy rain all the water rushes down from them into the brook and it floods down here.

“It goes in the River Lee but that's got locks on it so the water backs up into Waltham Abbey.

“In terms of the level of water, the 1903 flood was a very bad one. In '47 and '82 you couldn't use a car because it came up right to their roofs. When you get further on in time it's caused more damage because there's been more houses built.”

The area around the north east of the town was particularly badly affected by the floods, and as more houses were added, so more properties became prone to the effects of heavy rain.

Mr Sears said: “One side of Broomstick Hall Road was all built up and unaffected. Then some chap came along on the other side, bought the land and built houses all on ground level so they all flooded.

“Recently it's been very inconvenient for the people living there. It gets into their gardens and if they have crops they get spoilt.”

King Harold School, built in the 1950s in Broomstick Hall Road, has been particularly affected by the flooding.

After its latest incident it had to close for the day and extensive damage was caused to the library and main hall.

As times have changed, so has the effect on Waltham Abbey of the flood water.

Mr Sears said: “Years ago, the main thing was being able to get through it. These days when it floods in Honey Lane you can go down Rochford Avenue but years ago they couldn't do that.

“It affected the town more than it does now. It didn't affect the town centre but you couldn't get through Farm Hill Road. They used to charge people to use a horse and cart to get through the flooding. These days you've got lorries which drive through the flood water.”

The last flood to hit the town occurred in October 2000 when 97 properties were left water-logged.

With its £6.6million new dam constructed at Cobbins Brook, the Environment Agency has said such incidents should be a thing of the past.

Its scheme uses a man-made tunnel and control gate to ensure the river keeps within its banks and has taken 314 properties in Waltham Abbey out of the risk of flooding.