Nerve centre for water operation

By Jon Kelly
BBC News, Cheltenham

Flooding in Gloucestershire has left hundreds of thousands of people without tap water. Cheltenham racecourse has become the nerve centre for the operation to keep them supplied.

Army vehicles are being used to distribute water

It might be more used to the sight of lean, galloping horses than squat military trucks.

But in the midst of the flooding that has engulfed much of west and central England, Cheltenham racecourse finds itself at the heart of the operation to provide water to 350,000 people.

Surrounded by the rolling Cotswold hills, the venue of the Gold Cup now serves a purely functional purpose.

Civilian trucks loaded with water arrive at the site, either to be sent out directly to be distributed among communities, or to be loaded onto Army vehicles. All leave with a full police escort.

Difficulties admitted

Seeing off three Army trucks bound for hospitals with cases of water, Capt Dave Boswell MBE, of 9 Supply Regiment RLC, believes the operation is, so far, keeping pace with extraordinary circumstances.

Of the 1m litres of water having arrived on site on Tuesday, he says, 750,000 litres have been sent out.

He acknowledges there have been difficulties, such as Army forklift trucks being unable to fully unload many of the civilian lorries.

But eventually, he insists, the task of making sure the water gets through is succeeding.

"From the feedback I have been getting from the public, people are happy with the way things are going," he says.

Lorry driver Andy Purvis travelled across the country

Among the civilian hauliers who have arrived at the site, however, there is some frustration.

Andy Purvis, 52, a truck driver from Carlisle, has been waiting with a full cargo he has driven from Felixstowe, Suffolk.

It is exasperating, he says, that so many trucks have not moved for hours.

"But it's part of the job," he sighs. "You get used to it."

'Remain flexible'

The Army officers overseeing the mission, however, explain they themselves are at the mercy of civilian planners.

Fresh from the latest planning meeting, Capt Harj Gill says he has to try to meet the needs of the people who are attempting to deal with the crisis on the streets of Gloucestershire.

"Everything's coming up through civilian authorities," he adds.

"If they feel they need a military detail then we send them out with military equipment. We remain flexible if they need to go out tonight."

As the sun sets over Cheltenham, everyone involved is aware how tough the task ahead remains.

Thousands of families in the county will be hoping they remain focused on making sure they succeed.