Could Monmoutshire cope with a disaster? (From Free Press Series)

Could Monmoutshire cope with a disaster?

What if Monmouthshire was the centre of a terrorist attack? Could the local police force, hospitals and authorities cope? What if global warming meant the banks of the River Wye burst leaving parts of the county permanently submerged beneath water?

Noel Davies investigates how well prepared Monmouthshire is for a state of emergency...

TERRORISM and global warming pose just as big a threat to Monmouthshire as anywhere else in the country.

According to some scientists by 2080 rising sea levels, due to escalating green house gases, will leave many parts of the county and the Wye Valley completely flooded.

Towns such as Chepstow will be totally submerged in water, while Abergavenny would have to cope with the River Usk bursting its banks to an extent not recognised today.

Martin Watkins, a spokesman for the Environment Agency, said they constantly assessed the potential risks that lie ahead over the next 50 years including those connected with global warming.

He warned that in a worse case scenario, like that already mentioned, there would be nothing they could do.

"In the case of global warming, and some of the figures being predicted, not even something like the Thames barrier could cope with flooding of that size and scale.

"With the best will in the world you can not defend against some situations.

"Physically trying to build defences in these areas (Wye Valley) would be a mammoth task. We would be talking about a Second World War scenario where everything was driven by the one goal.

"Flooding has always been with us and with global warming is likely to get worse in this area. It can happen at anytime and people have to be ready and aware of that," he said. Of course, we might not even survive long enough to see 2080.

According to the Home Office the threat of terrorism is closer than you would think - with any town or village a potential target.

The risks might be small, but the man in charge of over-seeing the county's emergency plans - Philip Diggins of the Gwent Police - admitted they do have plans in place to deal with bomb attacks.

"In line with all the other police authorities in the UK we have put together an inter-agency plan to deal with terrorism. If, heavens forbid, something major happened we are in a strong position to effectively deal with it," he said.

Mr Diggins said that Gwent Police work closely with bodies like the South Wales Fire and Rescue service, the Wales Ambulance service and the military in preparing emergency plans ready to cater for any possible event.

So, what are some of the potential targets in and around Monmouthshire?

The two biggest concerns would be Oldbury Power Station - just four miles from Chepstow - and the Severn Bridge.

Officials at the Severn Bridge Crossings wouldn't reveal details of their emergency plans for security reasons.

A spokesman did say though that they maintain close contact with both Gwent Police and Avon and Somerset Police and regularly assess any risk to the crossings.

Chepstow county councillor Gwyne Eburne admitted she had raised concerns with Monmouthshire County Council regarding the ageing Oldbury Power Station.

"I wanted to know what plans were in place to cope with an incident at Oldbury Power Station.

"My main worry was what if there was a nuclear leak of some scale and what was in place to cope with a rather large populous or people? I was quite assured at the time that plans were in place to cope," she said.

The council's own emergency planning officer Tracy Davies added: "We work closely with the police to make sure plans are in place to deal with any issue.

"Our main role would be to help evacuate people from their homes or set up emergency help centres."