THERE have been calls for urgent action following flash flooding in Malmesbury at the weekend.

Heavy rain led to waterlogged football pitches, a submerged bowling green and a builders merchants was forced to temporarily close.

Park Road, which is parallel to the River Avon, is frequently affected by floods and was underwater once again over the weekend.

This led to Buildbase Malmesbury Timber & Builders Merchant being forced to close for a second time since February due to flooding.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: The submerged yard at Buildbase Malmesbury The submerged yard at Buildbase Malmesbury (Image: Buildbase Malmesbury Timber & Builders Merchant)

Water seeped into the site and caused considerable damage to stock, leading to the business closing on Saturday and Monday.

A spokesperson for the company said: "The local authorities need to come up with a plan but we don't feel they care enough as it is just us and the football club who are affected.

"The new housing in the area is probably only going to make this worse.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Flooding on Park Road, MalmesburyFlooding on Park Road, Malmesbury (Image: Buildbase Malmesbury Timber & Builders Merchant)

"Greta Thunberg has been warning us but we haven't listened as a human race and our relentless quest for money over environment issues is finally coming back to haunt us and it will be our children's children who will deal with the consequences of our gross ineptitude."

Malmesbury Victoria Football Club had to reschedule games due to the pitch being waterlogged, including a game against Kidlington FC on Tuesday evening.

The Malmesbury Bowls and Social Club is also frequently affected by the floods and the green was submerged at the weekend.

Roger Pope, head greenkeeper of the bowls club, said: "We have been lucky so far this year, if another few inches rose the flood waters may have encroached the club house, as it did back in 2012.

"We had to cancel a bingo night on Saturday and also a scheduled friendly bowls match against Calne on Sunday.

"However, the synthetic playing surface we acquired in 2020 is proving its worth as drainage is quite superb, the surface is now playable just two days on from the flood.

"This would not have been the case with our old natural surface and drainage system."

Some residents took to social media to complain about the lack of warning about the floods.

However, Malmesbury Town Council has established a network of flood wardens to offer advice and assistance to householders at risk.

Each flood warden receives training and covers a particular group of at‐risk properties.

Warnings are then posted on social media.

Steve D’Arcym, who is part of the Malmesbury Flood Wardens Group, explained that the town's  hilltop position surrounded by flood plains means during periods of heavy rain some rivers can burst their banks.

He said: "Local flood wardens monitor river levels and provide advanced warnings to those at risk, as well as putting out warning signs to alert drivers of the danger.

"It is highly likely that climate change will make flood events more frequent and potentially more serious.

"There is a risk to residences in the area around St John’s Bridge, but we were lucky this weekend that flood waters did not rise far enough to cause any damage.

"A community-led flood defence scheme for this area has been developed by local volunteers that will provide greater resilience in the future. 

"Malmesbury Town Council is seeking to meet with representatives of the Environment Agency and Wiltshire Council to consider actions to alleviate the risk of flooding in this area.

"For now, we are pleased that the sun is shining again!"

The Environment Agency and Wiltshire Council have been contacted for a comment.