The home of an 83-year-old woman who drowned during Storm Babet lacked formal flood defences, an inquest has heard. Maureen Gilbert was found floating in water in her home in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, by her son on 20 October 2023. She was one of seven people who died as a result of the storm, which left thousands of homes without power across the UK.
The inquest at Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard that Gilbert died when the River Rother overflowed its banks. About 400 homes in the area were evacuated during the storm. Neil Longden, Environment Agency operations manager for Yorkshire, told the court that Tapton Terrace was at high risk of flooding due to low-lying land and its location where multiple water sources converge. Despite this, the street had no flood defences. When asked why, Longden said: 'You can build something, but someone has to pay for it.' He added that a feasible solution existed but funding and planning processes could pose challenges.
Longden described Storm Babet as 'one of the most significant storms' he had encountered, noting its exceptional rainfall. He said a storage reservoir installed downstream of the River Rother in 2018 was the 'only significant step' taken to protect the area from flooding between severe floods in 2007 and Storm Babet. Gilbert's son, Paul, attended the inquest. He previously told Sky News that residents had feared inundation since 2007 and had done 'as much as they could' with makeshift defences. He said: 'She lived on the street all her life. Rebuilding after the 2007 flood was hard for us and her but this is just devastating.'
Derbyshire Police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after the storm, which decided the matter should be dealt with locally. The inquest continues and is expected to last five days.
