Exhibition of Beer’s flood history to open in Devon

A free exhibition of historic flood photographs and maps of Beer and surrounding area is being held at The Mariners’ Hall in Fore Street, Beer, thanks to the Environment Agency, Beer Emergency Response Team and The Westcountry Rivers Trust.

Residents and visitors are invited to come along to the event on 28 July 2022 from 10am to 4pm and share their experiences or just take in the photographs on display.

Chris Khan, a flood resilience officer at the Environment Agency, said: “We are hosting this event because your neighbourhood is at risk of flash flooding. This type of flooding happens extremely quickly with potentially devastating impacts as seen in Beer and Boscastle in 2004 and Coverack in 2017.

“More than 750 people attended a similar exhibition in Sidmouth in 2018 and over 500 in Colyton in 2019. Both were an amazing success with people coming from all over the country. The photographs are a real eye-opener and leave you questioning how you would react.”

While the Environment Agency hopes attendees will leave with the information they need to prepare, act, survive, Beer Emergency Response Team hopes to attract new members to support its newly created Community Emergency Plan for the village.

Westcountry Rivers Trust will also display posters on some of its work done in the area and share potential solutions and opportunities to improve Beer’s waterways and increase its resilience against flooding.