TOWN councillors insist that now is not the time to start a blame game around the flooding which hit Northwich last month.
Storm Christoph left much of the town centre hit by devastating floods, while residents were evacuated from houseboats, Weaver Court retirement village, Acton Bridge and Sandy Lane, in Weaverham.
Speaking at Monday's Northwich Town Council meeting, members called on all responsible parties to get round the table and make decisive action – rather than simply pass the buck.
Cllr Andrew Cooper, who sits on both the town council and Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: "I'm not a hydrological engineer or an expert on sewerage systems, but luckily we know people who are and they need to get their heads to this and sort it out.
Picture by Matt Sayle
"We're pretty determined that there is not going to be any buck passing on this, there's not going to be any shifting the blame or saying it is somebody else's responsibility. This is a collective problem.
"It's not going to be an overnight fix, it's not going to be cheap, but we can't be having this every year, can we?"
Cllr Cooper said it was important that CWAC, water firm United Utilities, the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency all work together to find a solution.
He suggested that once all four bodies know what exactly Northwich needs to avoid a repeat of the Storm Christoph floods, then they will be able to look for funding.
Cllr Mitch Rowley, a civil engineer at the Environment Agency who worked on the response to Christoph, welcomed the discussion on resolving the town's drainage issues.
Picture by Matt Sayle
He said: "The town has sunk due to mining – it has subsided by 10ft in the last 100 years.
"All the [sewage] infrastructure, combined with the fact that Northwich is in a bowl now, is a double whammy.
"I think that the conversation focusing on drainage infrastructure now is really good to hear.
"It's getting a lot of attention and is helping focus the conversation instead of just finger-pointing."
Cllr Kevin Rimmer, mayor of Northwich, added: "It's not about blaming, it's now about turning the words that we are all tired of into actions, getting put in place whatever needs to be put in place so that we don't go through this again.
"Ultimately, there are businesses which could just make a decision that they can't afford to stay in Northwich, which would be an absolute travesty."
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