Monmouthshire County Council's Chairman, Councillor Susan White, has praised the hard work of the people who worked over the weekend to deal with the floods in Monmouthshire.

Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) staff worked with police officers, Environment Agency staff, Fire and Rescue Services, and other partner agencies all weekend using the emergency procedures after it became apparent that the rain would cause disruption and threaten people's homes.

When a large number of properties were identified as being at risk from the rising levels of the River Wye, residents were offered alternative accommodation. Eight people from five homes in Monmouth were sent to temporary accommodation at two local hotels; however, most people were able to stay with friends or relatives or decided to stay at their homes.

MCC officers arranged for and provided extensive sandbagging throughout the county and provisionally opened Abergavenny Leisure Centre to accommodate potential evacuees who had no alternative accommodation. However, the numbers needing accommodation were so small that bed and breakfast accommodation was used instead and the rest centre was closed down.

Staff from MCC's emergency planning, housing, social services, leisure, libraries and operations departments all had a role to play in controlling the situation.

Councillor White said: "Our sympathies go to the families who have been affected by the floods, it must be a very unsettling time for them.

"I'm thankful that the flood pumps on the Wonastow Road worked effectively, the problems would have been much worse without them.

"If anyone has concerns, they should contact their local councillor who will be very happy to answer questions and will help as much as they can.

"I must take this opportunity to commend our excellent staff who worked tirelessly this weekend alongside their colleagues at the police, fire service and other agencies.

"They did a wonderful job of preparing residents for possible flooding, and they did their best to protect our residents and their property from danger.

"During the weekend, many people cancelled their personal arrangements and quickly arrived to work through the night getting sand bags out to those who needed them and giving vital information to residents who were worried how the floods would affect them.

"We are all tremendously grateful to staff who showed dedication and good humour in an awful situation."

Colin Berg, Chief Executive of MCC, represented the council at all 'gold' meetings at Police Headquarters. He said:

"The Environment Agency provided us with excellent information throughout the weekend and we were pleased to work so well with our partner agencies."