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27 November 2014

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Berkshire Floods 2007

You are in: Berkshire > Features > Berkshire Floods 2007 > Sandbags and St Mary's

Making sandbags in Wokingham

Making sandbags in Wokingham

Sandbags and St Mary's

BBC South Today's Allen Sinclair visited a makeshift sandbag production line in Wokingham and the flooded St Mary's Church in Bucklebury, where he spoke to the Bishop of Reading. Watch the video below.

Watch the video here:

Teams of council staff in Wokingham have been working round the clock for three days, their makeshift production line churning out thousands of sandbags.

"It's very distressing and there's work that's going to have to be done to get this building into shape."

Bishop of Reading, Stephen Cottrell

The borough is criss-crossed by a network of rivers and the areas in trouble are shifting constantly.

Cllr Mark Moon, head of environment at Wokingham borough council said: "We've had quite significant flooding along the Emmbrook to begin with, and then in the Blackwater, then on the Loddon and now on the Thames.

"What we have to do really is move with the flood peaks on the river."

As Wokingham prepares for more, the village of Bucklebury is picking up the pieces - the church was under two feet of water. Now rugs and fittings are slowly drying out.

Bishop of Reading, the Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell said: "There was about 20 inches of water in here on Friday.

"This is an old building and these buildings are pretty resilient so it will breathe again and come back to life, but obviously it's very distressing and there's work that's going to have to be done to get this building into shape."

It's not just his own house that needs putting in order, the bishop is touring affected areas, offering support to the many whose homes have been turned upside down.

He's got a lot of people to see.

last updated: 24/07/07

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