THIS afternoon's sunshine and the peaking of the Thames tide just after midday eased fears that were rising this morning that Stanford-le-Hope might be on the verge of another day of flooding.

As dawn broke after a night of rainfall, levels of the Hope river in the town this morning (Thursday, 28 January) were approaching the edge of its banks at some points and residents in the Bell-Reeves Close and Ellie Close area of Stanford were once again looking anxiously out of their windows at fast flowing water that threatened to pour into the car park where several cars were damaged in the floods two weeks ago.

However, the threatened surge went down as the Thames ebbed during the morning allowing a lot of the water to run away rather than back up and as the leaden, rain-threatening skies gave way to sunshine the fears dissipated.

The tide came back in and there were no further problems, but residents remain concerned that there has been no official word yet about what happened two weeks ago - or the causes of the flooding in the town.

Ward councillors Terry Piccolo and Shane Hebb called on the council to investigate so they can pass on information to residents.

And they also asked for an analysis of planning approval for new homes in the flood plain area to consider if mistakes had been made.

But their plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears - as did a similar call for information from Thurrock Nub News which supplied a lengthy and detailed list of questions.

The answer was brief! A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: "Thurrock Council officers worked tirelessly doing all they could to contain and clear flood water from the areas which are the council's responsibility.

"It is important to remember that private land owners are responsible for dealing with issues that arise from flooding on their land.

"Some private landowners also have responsibilities to manage flood defences and mitigation on their land to protect neighbouring properties or infrastructure.

"Issues relating to flooding are considered as a matter course in all planning applications and decisions."

Nub News editor Neil Speight said: "Effectively that means the council isn't going to do anything, leaving a lot of anxious people in Stanford-le-Hope.

"I got the call this morning from people who were understandably worried that it is all going to happen again. And that on the back of not a lot of rain.

"The next test is going to come when we get heavy rain or thawing snow and I hope that the council isn't left red-faced by having not taken action even to look into the matter and the causes of the flooding a fortnight ago.

"I sense a growing concern in Thurrock about the amount of building taking place on floodplains.

"We have the sticky issue of the planning permission for more than a hundred new homes on Thurrock Marshes - the clue is in the name! This morning I popped down to Tilbury before going to Stanford and saw how the access road to that new site responded to a night of rain. Have a look at the video by clicking here - it certainly offers food for thought."

Questions also remain unanswered in Bulphan, where rising water again flooded Fen lane this morning.