'Thank you so much but, please, no more cleaning products'

The clean-up at Wainfleet has attracted massive community support - so much so that volunteers are have announced they now have enough cleaning products.
You've all been great - but Wainfleet now has enough cleaning product says clerk Sue Simmons.You've all been great - but Wainfleet now has enough cleaning product says clerk Sue Simmons.
You've all been great - but Wainfleet now has enough cleaning product says clerk Sue Simmons.

One of the latest donations was from a wedding. Karen Chadwick posted on Facebook: "Following our wedding appeal, we just dropped this little lot off with the wonderful volunteers at the Coronation Hall.

"Hope it helps, and good luck to you all with the challenges ahead. Love and best wishes to your fantastic community, Mr and Mrs Chadwick."

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Town Clerk Sue Simmons said the response from the community since the River Steeping burst its banks flooding properties across the area and leaving hundreds evacuated has been overwhelming.

She said: "We are so grateful to everyone for their donations and we now have more than enough cleaning products to help the victims with the clean-up, so we really won't need anymore."

The public will get the chance to ask questions about the disaster and recovery when Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman hosts a public meeting at the Coronation Hall on Thursday.

It has now been revealed the deployment of RAF helicopters to plug the Wainfleet flood defences is expected to cost the government upwards of £750,000.

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Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones and Chief Constable Bill Skelly confirmed the sum during a discussion on the flood’s impacts on services budgets.

The Chinook and Puma were called into action when more than double June’s average rainfall came down in just three days and the River Steeping broke its banks.

Mr Jones told members of the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel that the final bill would not be known until around Autumn.

“I expect the RAF will put in a bill, but it won’t be borne by our budget,” he said.

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Mr Skelly added: “We got reassurance early on that the cost would not be borne by the partnership, it would be borne by Central Government.”

Speaking following the meeting, Mr Jones said: “It’s going to be in the order of £750,000 to £1 million, so significant cost and I’m really pleased that’s happened.”

The PCC also confirmed that once the final cost was known, he would also be putting in bids for special grants to Government to cover more costs if possible.

“It will be hundreds and thousands rather than millions but it will be money that when we get back can be put into policing,” he said.

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Heavy rainfall led to the River Steeping bursting its banks on June 12 and 580 homes were evacuated, with some people not expecting to be able to return for months.

Around half of those evacuated were allowed to return to their properties last Friday and emergency planners have since begun a recovery process.

The RAF, with support from a Joint RAF and Army unit, flew in almost 70 one-tonne bags of gravel suspended under a Chinook.

The operation was designed to reinforce the flood defences and drastically reduce the chances of further flooding.

Thursday's public meeting starts at 5.30pm.

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