Dredging, sealed manhole covers and new river channels were among the demands of residents in a Parish Council Meeting which saw people "queuing outside the door" to get in.

On Tuesday, January 30, representatives from Thames Water, the Environment Agency and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead met with Wraysbury residents to discuss concerns after the village saw the worst flooding since 2014.

The meeting was opened by Wraysbury Parish Council Chairman Phil Jackson who applauded Dave Francis and the flood team for their "magnificent job", adding "they deserve a medal."

Mr Francis heads the Wraysbury flood team and said: "We are the guys that wade through the water day and night, checking on water levels, checking on our vulnerable. Evacuating people when necessary and delivering medical supplies."

However, the meeting revealed that Wraysbury's own flood team, made up of resident volunteers, was "stood down", with claims they were told to halt communication with residents during the flooding as "communication had to come from the Royal Borough".

Chris Joyce, Assistant Director at the Royal Borough said: "I am acutely aware of the hard work local volunteers put in during the flooding and our response team was in contact and trying to work closely with the flood team. I am not aware of any decision to remove the local flood team at any point."

He added that the borough began preparations for potential flooding on January 3, with residents upset that this had not been communicated quicker, with the "major incident" on January 5 causing "panic".

A member of the Wraysbury flood team added: "It took over six hours with rising flood water for anything to be published. That was excessively long."

Joe Cuthbertson from the Environment Agency praised the people of Wraysbury for their "really impressive community effort" and extended his sympathies to those impacted by the flooding.

Mr Cuthbertson said January's flooding was "quite different", with the region seeing the "wettest six-month period in England since records began in 1889" meaning land was already heavily saturated with rainwater. Widespread rain on January 4 meant surface water flooding fed into the Thames.

He confirmed that the Jubilee River had been operating since the end of December 2023, with the gates being opened in stages, seeing the river operated at "maximum capacity".

However, Mr Cuthbertson denied that the Jubilee River had increased the flood risk to Wraysbury.

Residents were vocal during the meeting, sharing their feelings of being "sacrificed" in flood defence plans.

Mr Cuthbertson said: "We can't stop all flooding. We do it where it makes sense economically and where we can and help the most people that we can."

When asked why the Environment Agency stopped dredging, he added that dredging decisions are "underpinned by science and modelling" to understand the most cost-effective decisions" with dredging having to be repeated regularly."

He described the River Thames as a "self-regulating" river where sediment is moved naturally and to interfere would be "environmentally damaging".

During the weeks of flooding, residents reported sewage in homes and public spaces.

Danny Leamon, Waste Operations Director at Thames Water, said a total of 671 pumping stations were overloaded and "just pumping river".

"We can't stop the flood waters getting in [to the system], but have put flood defences in place."

Mr Leamon spoke about how the "contaminated" river water rose up through drains and the Priory Road flood barrier didn't hold flood water back in the way it was intended to.

"When the river does burst its bank or groundwater levels come up, the river water will get into the system and it gets in through manhole covers, private manholes or through cracks or areas of weakness."

Mr Leamon added that contamination in Wraysbury from sewage is "heavily diluted" and a "low risk" to public health.

As a response, residents asked why manholes can't be sealed closed and Mr Leamon said that Thames Water would look into its vacuum system.

Questions were also raised about unblocking the Wraysbury drain, with Mr Joyce confirming the council is currently undertaking surveys to find where the blockages are with the aim of finding a solution by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, residents were upset about the Hythe End flood drain being built on with concrete raising the area, with claims it has caused the flooding of homes by centimetres. 

Residents described planning as a "free for all" and the council admitted their planning system is a "complaints-led approach" to enforcement.

In the meeting, residents were told the Thames River Scheme Channel One will not be reinstated into current plans but could be part of the Datchet to Hythe end project.

Residents voted in favour of working together with other villages, Datchet, Horton and Old Windsor in pushing for better flood defences.

All authorities have said they will now reflect on the events and open conversations with residents and the Royal Borough is urging residents affected by flooding to come forward as they may be eligible for the flood recovery framework grant.