Plymouth (Photo: RN)

Royal Navy assists with floods in Gloucester
Personnel from Plymouth, HMS OCEAN and HMS NORTHUMBERLAND

Royal Navy personnel were called last night to go to the assistance of the flood emergency in the Gloucester area. In response to a request for military assistance Plymouth Naval Base Commander, Commodore Simon Lister, co-ordinated the mobilisation of over 100 sailors at very short notice who deployed last night in three coaches to the area.

The 104-strong team made up of personnel from Plymouth Naval Base, HMS Ocean and HMS Northumberland, is being led by Commander Stuart Boreland who is the Weapons Engineer on board HMS Ocean. He said: "The situation had been assessed on the ground and in the early hours of this morning a Naval team was sent to safeguard the electricity sub station in Walham. The power is currently still running and the team are trying to improve the drainage by wading into the water and lifting the manhole covers by hand." This team are under the command of Lt Marcel Fidler from the Flag Officer Sea Training Organisation at Plymouth Naval Base.

A further 50 Naval personnel under the command of Captain Mike Postgate RM of HMS Ocean, are at the Castle Meads sub station. They have been building up the flood defences with sandbags.

The rest of the Naval team are standing by for further tasking. They are at immediate notice at the TA Centre in Gloucester which has become the HQ for the Naval operation.

In the early hours of Monday morning the Naval party were joined by an Army Field Kitchen of 9 Supply Regiment from Hulavington, near Chippenham. Commander Boreland said: "They have been doing a fantastic breakfast and after wading through the cold water that's just what you need. They're a very welcome addition to our team. They are keeping the guys going by feeding the teams as they come back, wet, cold and hungry.

The situation now is that we will be drying out the team, and sending them back out to the front line as soon as they are rested and good to go."

Commander Boreland added: "This is a big team effort involving all three Services. The Royal Navy are well-placed to take on this task having all been trained in flood defences by the Flag Officer Sea Training Organisation. We are now putting that training to good use. We also mustn't forget the three civilian bus drivers from Babcock who got us here and who are driving the teams to the front line under police escort."