Monty Don shares dramatic images of his flooded garden
Monty Don has shared striking images of his Herefordshire garden, Longmeadow, completely submerged in water after yet another bout of heavy rainfall.
The Gardeners' World presenter took to social media and posted a breathtaking sunset photo, writing: "Tonight's sunset was spectacular, with the sky reflected in the flood."
He's posted several photos of his home – where he has filmed much of the BBC programme since 2011 – and earlier this week, he captioned another set of images: "The waters return."
This is not the first time the 69-year-old has faced extreme weather at home.
Earlier this month, he revealed that he and his wife, Sarah, were “flooded in,” unable to leave their property as rising waters cut them off completely.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Monty voiced growing concerns about the frequency and severity of flooding in the UK. “Flooding has always been part of life, you know, forever, but it’s definitely got worse,” he said.
“It’s got more frequent. And, I mean, I’ve lived where we have for 34 years, and I’ve just observed that.”
He added that while droughts are often a major concern for gardeners, the recent pattern of intense and sudden downpours is becoming a bigger issue. “It’s these big dumps of rain that come down. What’s so odd is it’s not like we’ve had weeks and weeks and weeks of rain. It can be almost overnight, and the waters come up.”
The flooding also poses practical concerns. Monty shared that he and Sarah were completely isolated during the most recent downpours, with no one able to get in or out. “I have a 97-year-old neighbour,” he explained.
“If anything had happened to him, it would have been a helicopter time, I guess.”
What should you do if your property is at risk of flooding?
With more unpredictable weather in the UK, Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy shares some helpful steps if your property is at risk of flooding.
1. Get your home ready: "Always have a bag with your medications and anything important you might need to take with you, such as food supplies and bottles of water," says Emma. "Also, think about your pets and what you're going to do with them.
"We often see a lot of pets that need rescuing. Move precious items, rugs and furniture upstairs. I spoke to one lady recently who lost all her family photographs in a flood."
2. Respond to flood alerts: Flood alerts (found on service.gov.uk) exist to give homeowners enough warning to prepare their homes. "If you're at risk of flooding, please sign up for flood alerts. It will normally tell you a few days ahead if you are at risk."
3. Sign up for Build Back Better: The Build Back Better scheme gives homeowners up to £10,00 extra to make their homes more flood-resilient after a flood. Simple changes to your property can make flooding much less destructive and distressing.
"This includes things like covers for air bricks and moving sockets higher up the wall. If your house has already been flooded, check whether your insurance offers Build Back Better. It's to prevent future flooding."
4. Look into the grant scheme: "People may also want to look into the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme from Defra. This is up to £5,000 to make homes more flood resilient."
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