RECOVERY work is underway at Bangor-on-Dee after the village was hit by floods during Storm Christoph.

Torrential rain and unprecedented river levels saw a Severe Flood Alert declared during the early hours of Thursday morning (Jan 21), with homes being evacuated.

Earlier today, senior Wrexham Council representatives, representatives from Natural Resources Wales, and Welsh Government Ministers went to see recovery work underway in the village, as council environment teams and partner agencies work to clean up and get the village back on its feet.

The Leader: Leader of Wrexham Council Mark Pritchard and Deputy leader David Bithell visit Bangor On Dee.Leader of Wrexham Council Mark Pritchard and Deputy leader David Bithell visit Bangor On Dee.

Councillor Mark Pritchard, leader of Wrexham Council, said: “I want to convey my heartfelt thanks once again to everyone involved in responding to flooding in Bangor-on-Dee and the rest of the county borough this week.

“Flood wardens, 4x4 volunteers, council employees, emergency services, Natural Resources Wales and other partners have worked long hours through the night to keep people safe – and all while we’re still in the midst of a pandemic.

“The people of Bangor-on-Dee have been selfless during this emergency, and are picking themselves up with help from the council and other partners.

“It’s been a difficult time, but I’m incredibly proud of all our communities across Wrexham.”

The Leader: Welsh government ministers Ken Skates and Lesley Griffiths visit Bangor On Dee. In pic David Bithell Deputy leader of Wrexham council (Black beanie hat) and Greg McArthur from Wrexham environment (Black Baseball cap)Welsh government ministers Ken Skates and Lesley Griffiths visit Bangor On Dee. In pic David Bithell Deputy leader of Wrexham council (Black beanie hat) and Greg McArthur from Wrexham environment (Black Baseball cap)

Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, thanked local authorities, agencies, volunteers and emergency services which responded to Storm Christoph over the last few days.

She said: “The collaborative efforts of organisations and services across the country, many of whom worked overnight to ensure members of the public were safe, have truly been remarkable.

“We are working with our local authority partners to offer support payments of £500 and £1,000 to those people who have suffered flooding in their homes.”

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes also visited during the day, as well as Councillor David A Bithell, deputy leader and lead member for environment and transport, and local councillor Rodney Skelland.

The Leader: Bangor-on-Dee from the airBangor-on-Dee from the air

Cllr Bithell said: “Work is underway to clean up in Bangor-on-Dee and help the community get back on its feet.

“The river remains very high and many roads are still unsuitable for traffic, but council recovery teams are working hard with partners, and local residents are also showing tremendous resilience.

“We will continue to work hard to get things back to normal in the village as water levels hopefully continue to drop, while also attending to flooding issues in the Lower Dee Valley and other parts of the county borough.

“We’ll also be looking at key roads into Bangor-on-Dee and will make decisions on these within the next 48 hours.

“Drivers are reminded to observe road closure signs due to surface water still being present.”